Plastic waste has overwhelmingly invaded everyday life in Taiwan, according to a recent survey that said plastics have inundated every inch of the nation’s coastline, posing a serious threat to the marine environment and eventually to human health.
The Society of Wilderness released the results of its study on microplastics, which showed that nearly 90 percent of about 8,000kg of garbage that its 6,000 volunteers collected on 18 beaches around the nation last month and this month was plastic.
According to the organization, plastic, polystyrene, plastic bags, glass bottles, stirrers and straws, bottle caps, disposable food containers, cigarette butts, clothes and shoes, and plastic bottles are the top 10 categories of waste found along the nation’s coastline.
As much as 88.8 percent of the trash is made of plastic, with different cities and counties facing different issues, it said.
In Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu areas — which are heavily populated — PET bottles, disposable food containers and plastic bags are most often seen on beaches, while in central and southern Taiwan, where aquaculture is popular, polystyrene waste is more commonly found along the coast, it said.
Society president Lai Jung-hsiao (賴榮孝) said that plastic trash does not dissolve, but instead breaks down into small particles that flow onto beaches and into oceans, where they are eaten by fish, turtles and sea birds.
Plasticizer released by small plastic particles pollutes its surrounding environment, Lai said.
Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海), head of the Division of Clinical Toxicology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), said PVC bags can dissolve in water and enter the human body through the food chain.
Long-term exposure to plasticizers can cause endocrine disorders, cancer, cardiovascular diseases or allergies, Yen said, adding that an excessive amount of plasticizer can also lead to an earlier onset of puberty in girls and the development of secondary sexual characteristics in boys.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
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