The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) yesterday said that water quality testing on Monday found no evidence of heavy metal pollution from Typhoon Danas-damaged solar panels in Chiayi County.
The tropical storm on July 7 made landfall to cause heavy economic losses in southern and central regions of Taiwan, including damaging or destroying 145,000 photovoltaic panel units.
Central and local environment officials conducted the most recent tests in multiple locations in Chiayi City and Chiayi County’s hard-struck Budai Township (布袋) for cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, zinc, manganese, silver and nickel, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment
Samples were also tested for indium, molybdenum, barium and antimony, elements not included in previous tests, it said.
On the day of the tests, rains from southwestern airflows caused surface overruns and unsettled the silt, resulting in muddiness in the county’s water, the ministry said.
The tests showed no sign of pollution by the former group of six substances, while the level of the latter group of four substances were comparable to the baseline from before the typhoon, it said.
They indicated that water quality in the county continues to meet government safety and potability standards, the ministry said.
Damaged solar energy modules did not pollute the county’s waters at least in the short term and any pollutant would have drained into the retention pond of fish farms where they were installed, the ministry said.
Ministry officials continue to monitor water quality every two weeks, it said.
Solar panels are mostly made of aluminum, glass, waterproof membrane and power generation components, the ministry said, adding that 92 percent of decommissioned modules are to be recycled, not buried or incinerated.
The cleanup of broken photovoltaic equipment, as well as decontamination and mosquito prevention measures, is being carried out, partly by the private-sector entities that own the solar panels, it said.
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