The National Fire Agency (NFA) should set an end date for the use of crystalline-free silica in fire extinguishers, New Power Party Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said on Thursday.
The agency has no regulations in place to control the use of the substance and verify safety data sheets submitted by manufacturers, Chen told a news conference that she held jointly with the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing and Agent Recharging Industry Union and the Taiwan Water Resource Conservation Union.
Fire extinguisher union president Liao Wei-jen (廖偉任) said that phasing out the substance would pose no great challenge to manufacturers, as only four out of 15 companies produce fire extinguishers using crystalline-free silica.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Liao urged the agency to draw up regulations that ban the use of the substance to safeguard the health of manufacturers and firefighters.
Extinguishers using certified agents cost three times as much as those with non-certified agents, and phasing out the substance would improve the price-to-value ratio of fire extinguishers, Liao said.
NFA official Shen Yi-che (沈義哲) said that the agency on Oct. 12 sent a formal letter to authorities to step up verification of safety data sheets.
The US, Europe and Japan do not ban the use of crystalline-free silica in fire extinguishers, and Taiwan seeks to maintain the same standards as the global community, Shen said.
Chen said that the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) certification standards demand that fire extinguisher agents should not contain substances that are highly toxic, have long-term effects on aquatic animals or are listed in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
However, some manufacturers have not provided data on the toxicity and ecological impact of their products, she said, adding that the EPA’s review procedure was flawed.
Liao said that third-party testing providers might have intentionally delivered false results.
EPA official Wu Ling-chu (吳鈴筑) said that manufacturers did not have to prove that their products did not contain crystalline-free silica.
However, all EPA tests of fire extinguishers for the substance have shown negative results, Wu said, adding that between June and August, three companies had been inspected.
Chen said that all dry-powder extinguishers should undergo inspection, and manufacturers should deliver new data to the EPA and the Fire Extinguisher Union to verify that their products fulfill certification standards.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS