Taipei City health officials yesterday announced that some condoms sold in vending machines at gas station bathrooms operated by Chinese Petroleum Corp have not been tested or licensed, and so could be defective.
The discovery was first made on Oct. 28, and the company could face fines of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,450). Chinese Petroleum Corp has since unplugged the bathroom vending machines that sold the condoms.
The dicey condoms were marked in English with the brand names "QK" and "Eagle," and listed Suretex Ltd as the manufacturer, with an expiration date of December, 2009.
They were sold in a package with tissues for NT$10 in vending machines at 19 locations, including branches at Dingzhou Road, Guilin Road, and Guangfu N Road.
Officials from Taipei City Government's Department of Health said that the supplier had not applied for a medical appliance vending license, and thus the condoms had not undergone safety checks and testing.
Since this past June, condom manufacturers must have their products registered and need to obtain a valid patent number before they can be sold, in line with the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (
The condoms had no Chinese instructions, which is also against the law.
Chiang Yu-mei (
Asked what danger the condoms may pose, Chiang said, "If they are faulty, then they may well have a wide range of important medical repercussions."
She said that tests will be conducted to check the safety of these condoms.
The vendors have since applied for a license, but Chiang said that pending approval, it is illegal for Chinese Petroleum Corp to sell the rubbers.
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