Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
Update Date: 2010/01/13 18:48
Is the water we drink daily hiding a deadly crisis? According to a weekly report, domestic reservoirs such as Feitsui, Shihmen, Nanhua, and Fengshan, as well as over 90% of offshore island reservoirs, have been found to contain "microcystin toxins." Among them, Shihmen Reservoir exceeds the standard by more than 23 times. Even boiling the water cannot remove the toxins, and long-term consumption poses a cancer risk. However, the Water Resources Agency, accused of concealing the truth, clarified that the report cited errors and stated that the toxins can be filtered out after treatment by water purification plants.
The presence of algal toxins in Taiwan's reservoirs has been reported from time to time but has not received widespread attention. There are 20 major water supply reservoirs in Taiwan's main island, about half of which have experienced eutrophication, with over 40% remaining in a eutrophic state for about half the year. The algae appearing in eutrophic reservoirs are mainly blue-green algae, with Microcystis being the most common. These not only produce foul odors but also release algal toxins.
Many scholars and experts have previously warned that reservoir eutrophication has caused drinking water safety to "flash red lights." The Environmental Protection Administration's testing institute also examined the water quality of 93 domestic reservoirs four years ago and found that the microcystin levels in Keelung's Xinshan Reservoir, Matsu's Wusha and Fuzheng Reservoirs, and Kinmen's Taihu Reservoir exceeded the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest warning level, suggesting the use of alternative water sources.
The weekly report revisited old news, stating that the tap water people drink daily contains carcinogenic microcystin toxins. It also accused the Water Resources Agency and the Environmental Protection Administration of concealing water quality monitoring reports despite knowing about the severe pollution of reservoirs nationwide. Taiwan's most authoritative toxicology expert, Lin Jie-liang, director of the Clinical Toxicology Department at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that microcystin is a liver toxin. Ingesting even one part per billion over two to three months can lead to mild poisoning symptoms such as skin allergies, vomiting, diarrhea, and palpitations, while severe cases may cause liver cancer, kidney failure, and gastrointestinal cancers.
A study on algae and their toxicity in 59 domestic reservoirs showed that Shihmen Reservoir is the most severely polluted, containing at least five types of microcystin toxins. The highest recorded concentration reached a potentially fatal 23.1 milligrams per liter, exceeding the WHO standard by over 23 times. Additionally, microcystin toxins were detected in nearly 100% of sampling points in the reservoir. Since high temperatures cannot eliminate microcystin toxins, long-term consumption poses health risks.
In response, the Water Resources Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs held an emergency press conference to clarify that the main culprits of reservoir pollution are illegal restaurants, homestays, and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides in the catchment areas. Microcystin toxins are only present in the surface water layer, while water treatment plants draw from deeper layers, and purification can completely filter out the toxins. (News source: ETtoday reporters Chen Ming-le and Jiang Ji-wei)
Source: http://news. msn. com. tw/ news1559342. aspx
Drinking Water Safety Alarm: Official Cover-Up of Algae Toxin Exceedance in Shimen Reservoir?
Is the water we drink daily hiding a deadly crisis? According to a weekly report, domestic reservoirs such as Feitsui, Shihmen, Nanhua, and Fengshan, as well as over 90% of offshore island reservoirs, have been found to contain "microcystin toxins." Among them, Shihmen Reservoir exceeds the standard by more than 23 times. Even boiling the water cannot remove the toxins, and long-term consumption poses a cancer risk. However, the Water Resources Agency, accused of concealing the truth, clarified that the report cited errors and stated that the toxins can be filtered out after treatment by water purification plants.
The presence of algal toxins in Taiwan's reservoirs has been reported from time to time but has not received widespread attention. There are 20 major water supply reservoirs in Taiwan's main island, about half of which have experienced eutrophication, with over 40% remaining in a eutrophic state for about half the year. The algae appearing in eutrophic reservoirs are mainly blue-green algae, with Microcystis being the most common. These not only produce foul odors but also release algal toxins.
Many scholars and experts have previously warned that reservoir eutrophication has caused drinking water safety to "flash red lights." The Environmental Protection Administration's testing institute also examined the water quality of 93 domestic reservoirs four years ago and found that the microcystin levels in Keelung's Xinshan Reservoir, Matsu's Wusha and Fuzheng Reservoirs, and Kinmen's Taihu Reservoir exceeded the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest warning level, suggesting the use of alternative water sources.
The weekly report revisited old news, stating that the tap water people drink daily contains carcinogenic microcystin toxins. It also accused the Water Resources Agency and the Environmental Protection Administration of concealing water quality monitoring reports despite knowing about the severe pollution of reservoirs nationwide. Taiwan's most authoritative toxicology expert, Lin Jie-liang, director of the Clinical Toxicology Department at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that microcystin is a liver toxin. Ingesting even one part per billion over two to three months can lead to mild poisoning symptoms such as skin allergies, vomiting, diarrhea, and palpitations, while severe cases may cause liver cancer, kidney failure, and gastrointestinal cancers.
A study on algae and their toxicity in 59 domestic reservoirs showed that Shihmen Reservoir is the most severely polluted, containing at least five types of microcystin toxins. The highest recorded concentration reached a potentially fatal 23.1 milligrams per liter, exceeding the WHO standard by over 23 times. Additionally, microcystin toxins were detected in nearly 100% of sampling points in the reservoir. Since high temperatures cannot eliminate microcystin toxins, long-term consumption poses health risks.
In response, the Water Resources Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs held an emergency press conference to clarify that the main culprits of reservoir pollution are illegal restaurants, homestays, and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides in the catchment areas. Microcystin toxins are only present in the surface water layer, while water treatment plants draw from deeper layers, and purification can completely filter out the toxins. (News source: ETtoday reporters Chen Ming-le and Jiang Ji-wei)
Source: http://news. msn. com. tw/ news1559342. aspx