Taiwan’s microplastic detection rate dropped to 22 percent from 2018 to last year, much lower than the global average of 83 percent, the Ministry of Environment said in a joint news conference with the Ocean Affairs Council yesterday.
The ministry would promote microplastic reduction at the source, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭?明) said.
For example, the draft resource circulation promotion act would raise the required ratio of recycled plastic used to produce new plastic products, he said.
Photo: CNA
The ministry would also enhance scientific monitoring of microplastics in water, Peng said.
A survey of 37 water treatment plants nationwide by the ministry’s National Environmental Research Academy last year showed that the microplastic detection rate decreased by half from 44 percent in 2018 to 22 percent, which is lower than the global average of 83 percent, Peng said.
That shows Taiwan’s water treatment process can effectively block microplastics, he said.
Chemicals Administration Director-General Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) said the levels of microplastics detected in the water was four particles or less per liter, which is also much lower than the global average of 57 particles or less per liter.
The ministry will continue to clean up plastic waste jointly with the council and other government agencies, Peng said.
From 2020 to last year, about 362,000 tonnes of marine debris were removed, thanks to the council’s efforts, he said, adding that it showed a 51 percent decrease in plastic waste.
The ministry would also promote microplastics management from a healthcare perspective, given the impact of microplastic exposure on human health, he added.
The problem of microplastics or marine waste cannot be solved by a single agency and must be tackled through interministerial efforts, Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.
The council will collaborate with the ministry on surveying the nation’s microplastic distribution from land to ocean, she said.
Microplastics are smaller than 5mm, making them hard to separate and examine, National Taiwan Ocean University marine environment and ecology associate professor Shiu Ruei-feng (許瑞?) said.
Such substances can bind with pollutants and pose health risks after entering the human body, he said.
For example, polyester is the most commonly found microplastic and tends to intertwine with organisms that zooplankton feed on, he added.
Research has shown that microplastics can enter the human body via the respiratory and digestive tracts, National Taiwan University health sciences professor Cheng Tsun-jen (鄭尊仁) said..
Experiments on animals show that microplastics are toxic to almost all internal organs and can lead to neurodegenerative diseases, he said.
Reducing plastic use and promoting circular economy is good not only for the environment, but also for health, he added.
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