A shipment of Chinese mitten crabs from China was found to contain dioxin concentrations 2.6 times higher than the safety limit, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
The 14.7-tonne consignment of tainted crabs was intercepted at the border early last month and had been returned or destroyed before they could reach local markets, it said.
Samples of the crabs showed a dioxin level equivalent to 9.2 picograms per gram (pg/g) wet weight and polychlorinated biphenyl level equivalent to 10.6pg/g, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
These values exceeded the safety limits by 2.6 and 1.6 times respectively, he said.
Taiwan had certified 31 China-based aquafarms for exports of Chinese mitten crabs to the nation and failing a safety test would result in decertification, he said, adding that this means the list of authorized importers has dwindled to 16.
Citing FDA regulations, Lin said imported Chinese mitten crabs are tested for 65 types of substances, including veterinary drugs, heavy metals and dioxin.
The crabs can be temporarily stored in designated facilities if testing takes more than five days, he added.
Imported parcels that failed safety inspection are returned to their place of origin or destroyed, Lin said.
The nation’s safety mechanisms for imported Chinese mitten crabs are well-established and the public can safely consume any that had been allowed for sales domestically, he said.
According to Fisheries Agency data, China exported 387.5 tonnes of mitten crabs to Taiwan in 2017 before widely reported scandals involving dioxin contamination in the following year reduced the amount to 200.7 tonnes.
China in 2019 exported 174.3 tonnes of the crabs and more than 250 tonnes each year from 2020 to 2022, when 6.4 tonnes were rejected for containing excessive dioxin levels, and another 211.5 tonnes last year, the records showed.
Experts warn that dioxin consists of 419 chemical compounds and is a confirmed carcinogen.
Short-term exposure to high doses can cause skin disorders and liver damage, while long-term low-dose exposure might increase the risk of cancer, damage the immune system and pose risks to pregnant women, experts said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS