The nation has taken further steps in ensuring the safety of drinking water, with the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) amending its guidelines to include regulations for dioxin and chlorite.
Regulations for lead and bromate levels in drinking water were also amended.
"Taiwan is the second nation in the world after the US to regulate dioxin in drinking water," said Yuan Shaw-ying (
"The decision to include dioxin in the regulations came from the EPA's research on toxicology as well as drinking water regulations in developed countries," Yuan said.
A dioxin duck incident two years ago, as well as the dioxin lamb incident the following year, also contributed to the EPA's decision to regulate local food and water safety with more stringent guidelines, he said.
Dioxin is a persistent organic pollutant, meaning it accumulates in the food chain, he said.
For example, bigger fish may have a higher level of dioxins because of the number of smaller fish they ingest, he said.
Citing WHO classification, Yuan said that dioxin, which is mostly water-insoluble, had been identified as a carcinogen.
The most common method of releasing the notorious pollutant into the air or the food chain is through "the incineration of most things one can think of, including garbage, or through forest fires," he said.
The new regulations mandate that water purification plants within a 5km radius of any major pollution source must pass an annual examination and be certified that the drinking water they produce has a dioxin level of below 12 picogram-WHO-toxin equivalent per liter (pg-WHO-TEQ/L).
Drawing from the EPA's data, Yuan assured the public of the safety of local drinking water, saying that the raw water (before purification) and purified water at local water purification plants had dioxin levels of 0.010-0.079 pg-WHO-TEQ/L and 0.002-0.017 pg-WHO-TEQ/L respectively -- both of which were far below the new regulations.
The EPA also lowered the cap for maximum lead density in drinking water from 0.05mg/liter to 0.01mg/liter, effective Dec. 25, 2013.
"The new regulation was created to protect newborns and young children, who are especially sensitive to lead levels in their environment," Yuan said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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