The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) yesterday announced that it would launch nationwide health surveys to better understand the environmental causes of certain diseases.
To protect the environment, ecology and people’s health, several nations have invested huge amounts of money in monitoring chemical substances in the environment and human exposure to them, the NHRI said, adding that it is to collaborate with 11 hospitals to establish the Taiwan Precision Environmental Medicine Alliance to assess environmental health risks in local communities.
Largee human biomonitoring projects assessing environment-related risks and impacts, and generating knowledge about human exposure to chemicals, have been launched worldwide, including the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative in the EU, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the US, the German Experimental Seismic System in Germany and the Korean National Environmental Health Survey in South Korea, it said.
.jpg)
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
NHRI National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Director and distinguished investigator Chen Pau-Chung (陳保中) said environmental medical studies used to be conducted with universities, but the alliance has been established to enhance the clinical applications of the findings, combining the resources of regional healthcare facilities to conduct human biomonitoring surveys according to major environmental issues in each area, assess the health risks of local residents, and offer corresponding healthcare services and practical policy suggestions.
The alliance this month started the first phase of a biomonitoring survey, collecting random blood and urine samples in 40 townships, which would be tested for lead, plasticizers and other toxic heavy metals, he said, adding that the alliance plans to publish annual reports on its findings and analysis.
Chen said it also hopes to answer some of the public’s questions, such as whether levels of lead in the blood have dropped, or how many plasticizers are still detected in the body a decade after the discovery of the illegal use of plasticizers in food additives in 2011, and if new plasticizers are detected.
National Taiwan University (NTU) Cancer Center superintendent James Yang (楊志新) said most cancer patients when they are first diagnosed ask: “Why did I get cancer?”
Aside from individual health conditions, sometimes environmental factors might have contributed to their risk of developing cancer, he said.
Air pollution is associated with the development of lung cancer, radiation exposure is associated with leukemia and thyroid cancer, and a few recent studies have suggested that exposure to excessive amounts of plasticizers might increase the risk of women developing breast cancer, he added.
The alliance is led by the NHRI in collaboration with NTU Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the NTU Cancer Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital and six other hospitals.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS