Activists urge stricter regulation of dioxin

The Environmental Quality Protection Foundation (EQPF) said in its latest report on dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) that all 16 samples of local and imported beef meat contained acceptable amounts of the compounds.

The foundation put National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in charge of testing meat samples from Taiwan, the United States, Australia and New Zealand sold in local supermarkets last January.

Dioxins are known carcinogens that can cause adverse health effects, such as birth defects, diabetes, and immune system abnormalities if these organic chemical compounds accumulate in the body in large amounts — they cannot be metabolized.

The dioxin content in the samples taken ranged between 0.036 and 1.1, and averaged 0.584 picograms of the World Health Organization’s toxicity equivalent per gram of fat (pg WHO-TEQ/g fat), which were below the maximum allowable amount, explained Ling Yung-chien, chemistry professor at NTHU.

A picogram is a one-trillionth of a gram.

As for dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), the contents found ranged between 0.037 and 0.274 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat. The government has yet to set standards or regulations concerning the allowable amounts of PCBs in food products, but according to the foundation, the amounts are comparable to those found in beef samples in other countries.

Despite overall positive results, the EQPF called for the government to step up its efforts in testing the content of the toxic substances in food products and to establish more and stricter standards, especially for food products consumed by infants and pregnant women.

Liou Ming-lone, president of the EQPF, explained that ninety-five percent of human exposure to dioxin results from the intake of food; the major sources of dioxin in food are dairy, beef, fish, pork, poultry, and eggs.

Dioxin is a toxic byproduct of certain industrial processes, such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching.

He lamented that the government sees checking for dioxin levels in food as a temporary task, rather than a long-term commitment, during which it should regulate dioxin levels in food products as a whole.

In the past few years, excessive dioxin levels have been found in duck eggs sold in Changhua County, beef sold in Hsinchu, as well as lamb meat in Lingkou and Bali districts in Taipei County.

Liou also urged the government to require that all meat products be tested for dioxin levels before entering the market, so that products with excessive amounts do not end up being sold.

He further urged the government to take responsibility and not try to push it away.

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