At least three people were hospitalized after eating laundry pods given out as election freebies by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) Changhua campaign office.
Hung Jung-chang (洪榮章), the head of Hou’s Chuanghua campaign office apologized on Saturday for the incident, saying the office would work on “disseminating information” that the 460,000 laundry pods given out by the campaign were not to be eaten.
Hung told reporters that campaign staffers would visit the three individuals known to have been hospitalized after ingesting the pods.
Photo: CNA
He added that there were no further plans to give out laundry pods.
There are portraits of Hou and his vice presidential running mate, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), on the laundry pod packaging, as well as instructions for use, including a line reading: “One pod can be used to wash up to 8kg of clothes.”
One of those known to have ingested the pods told local media that she mistakenly thought they were candy.
An 80-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman, both surnamed Hung (洪), were sent to Erlin Christian Hospital on Friday after eating the laundry balls, and both were discharged after undergoing gastric lavage, the hospital said.
As of 8pm on Saturday, at least three people were confirmed to have been hospitalized after eating the laundry pods, Hou’s Changhua campaign office said.
Su Ming-yao (蘇銘堯), an attending physician at New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital’s Department of Gastroenterology, said laundry pods contain a surfactant that causes heat to be released once it enters the stomach.
Individuals ingesting the laundry pods might experience an upset stomach and a burning sensation, as well as burping, Su said.
They might also cough up blood if the chemicals inside the pods burn their stomach lining, he added.
People should seek medical advice immediately if they ingest laundry pods, Su said.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS