National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) yesterday put forward plans to tear down a radiation-contaminated research building on its campus, vowing to end a decades-long dispute over potential health risks the building could pose its faculty and students.
NTHU Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center vice director Hseu Rong-jiun (許榮鈞) said the center had commenced preparatory work for the demolition, which could take place between March and September.
The work includes moving laboratories to other buildings without interfering with research and seeking contractors to undertake the project, Hseu said.
The Atomic Energy Council in the 1970s asked the university to store fissile cesium-137, which plasterers accidentally mixed into concrete used in the construction of the two-story building, he said.
He said that most of the radioactive materials mixed in the concrete had been either removed by the school’s administration or shielded with metal sheets, adding that radiation in the building had been reduced to international standards.
The demolition is “unnecessary” and the university only agreed to go ahead with it to “ameliorate public concern once and for all,” Hseu said, adding that lawmakers, the Ministry of Education and the Control Yuan have all expressed concern over the building.
The university filed a request with the council to tear down the building in 2011 and subsequently asked the Ministry of Education for necessary funds, which were granted last year, he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), an advocate for the demolition, said the basement in which the fissile material was stored was flooded and workers unknowingly used the radiation-contaminated water to mix concrete.
Tien said she inspected the building with some environmentalists who had radiation detectors, which she said picked up alarming levels of radiation.
She decried the center for saying that the building was safe and demolition was unnecessary.
“If that is true, why waste taxpayers’ money to tear it down? Would you let your wives and kids live in a radioactive house shielded with steel sheets it?” Tien asked.
Anti-nuclear activist Lin Chang-mao (林長茂) took issue with the demolition, saying that it would create fugitive dust containing radiation that could be inhaled by people.
As cesium-137 has a half-life of approximately 30 years and is known to trigger genetic mutations and cancer, the university should have long since conducted health risk assessments on students and teachers who used the building, he said.
As the building does not occupy much space on the campus and should be cordoned off, Lin said.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS