Drinking water filtered by household units of an unnamed brand contained 47 times more methylene chloride than the legal limit, an academic on Thursday told a news conference in Taipei hosted by New Power Party (NPP) Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華).
Lin Chi-tsan (林啟燦), director of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology’s Center of Environmental Analysis Services, said that stronger regulations on water filters are necessary to prevent the sale of substandard equipment.
The WHO has linked methylene chloride — also known as dichloromethane — to cancer and the Environmental Protection Administration considers it a toxic pollutant, Chen and Lin said.
Student researchers conducting routine tests at the center detected a methylene chloride concentration of 697 micrograms per liter in water filtered with an unnamed high-end brand household unit, Lin said.
The legal limit is 20 micrograms per liter, he added.
To verify the results, the team tasked international testing service provider SGS with testing two other units of the same model, he said.
The Swiss-owned firm found that water previously deemed free of methylene chloride contained 940 micrograms per liter of the substance after filtration, Lin said.
Chen said she convened a meeting with officials from multiple agencies after receiving Lin’s report.
However, the officials told her that none of the agencies could enforce regulations on water quality from filter units, she said.
The officials told her that they could only fine the manufacturer for making false statements when advertising the product, Chen said.
The Consumer Protection Committee should draft regulations on filter units that include enforcement mechanisms and testing requirements for all products on the market, she said.
Consumer Protection Office senior consumer ombudsman Wang Te-ming (王德明) said that the committee would hold a meeting on the issue before the Lunar New Year holidays start on Feb. 12, with the aim of designating an agency in charge of enforcing regulations.
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