Lunchboxes, bottles fail heat-resistance tests: CF

The foundation conducted heat tests on plastic products from wholesale stores, supermarkets and shopping malls back in May. Some of the plastic goods in the sample melted while others became misshapen upon heat application.

The melting could result in the release of harmful substances hazardous to health health, the CF warned.

The CF tested 18 products including 10 plastic lunchboxes and eight water bottles. According to CF chairman Hsieh Tien-jen, the lunchboxes were placed inside a Constant Temperature Box with heat set at the maximum temperature the product claims to withstand, plus or minus two degrees Celsius.

　Both the lid and the interior of a double-layered plastic lunchbox from Carrefour, the French hypermarket chain, changed shape in the heat, causing it to fail safety standards of the CF's “CNS2446 Plastic Tableware” requirements.

　To test the heat-resistance of the eight plastic water bottles, the foundation filled 80 percent of the bottles with boiling water, letting it sit for 10 minutes before pouring the water out. The foundation discovered that bottles bearing cartoon images of SpongeBob Squarepants and Doraemon immediately began to soften upon contact with hot water, failing the safety standards. The bottles came from Sheng Li Living Mall and the Far Eastern A. Mart.

　Of the 18 sampled products, six did not have the maximum temperature clearly labeled. As a result, the CF was unable to conduct heat tests on such products.

　The foundation criticized the stores for stocking the products, adding that shopping marts with such abundant resources should take responsibility and not rely on the CF to conduct such tests.

　Furthermore, the CF urged that all plastic products should have relevant information labeled on the actual goods and not the wrapping.

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