Greenpeace Taiwan yesterday organized a flash-mob event outside the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) building in Taipei to protest what the group said was the agency’s lack of control over new and existing chemicals, in terms of new regulations under the Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act (毒性化學物質管理法), which states that no safety reports are required for the manufacture and import of chemicals in batches of less than 1,000 tonnes.
At about 10:30am, the group “ambushed” the administration’s building, with a flash mob hanging a huge banner on the facade as well as a pair of gigantic strips of Taoist magic writings, which bore messages demanding that the administration amend the regulations on the registration of existing and new chemicals — which are to be enacted on Dec. 11 — to conform to international standards.
An EPA official rushed outside and engaged in a heated argument with members of the group, saying that their actions were disrespectful to the agency.
Several police officers later removed the props.
Citing the regulations — which stipulate that no reports on hazard assessment or risks of exposure are required for the import and manufacture of any chemical in quantities under 1,000 tonnes — Greenpeace pollution prevention campaign director Rose Lai (賴倩如) said that the EPA’s standard is 100 times lower than that applied by the EU’s Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, and 1,000 times lower than China’s regulations, and could have a serious impact on the environment and the public’s health.
“There are more than 79,000 known chemicals in Taiwan, of which 305 are described by the EPA as controlled toxic substances,” Lai said.
She added that the 1,000-tonne limit is unreasonably high, as it is almost impossible for any firm to import up to 1,000 tonnes of a single chemical at a time.
“In light of recent food scandals, the EPA needs to reinforce its control over the sources of chemicals, to prevent similar incidents from taking place,” she said.
In response, EPA Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substances Deputy Director-General Chen Shu-ling (陳淑玲) said the department is looking at reducing the quantity of imported or manufactured chemicals to be registered to as low as 1g, while also working out new regulations to manage chemicals in quantities ranging from less than 100kg to more than 10,000 tonnes.
The administration is drafting a revision of the regulations that impose a stricter standard on the submission of safety reports, which will be available for public preview from about the middle of next month before coming into effect on Dec. 11, Chen said.
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