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【United Daily News╱Reporter Chen Huihui／Taipei Report】 2009.12.15 06:14 am
Domestic heavy metal limit standards for traditional Chinese medicine preparations have long been criticized as overly lenient. The Department of Health has announced plans to revise these standards downward.
Photo by Reporter Hu Jingzhou
The heavy metal limit standards for domestic concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations have long been criticized as too lenient. The Department of Health stated that it will lower the limit standards to 30 ppm for 20 commonly used preparations, including Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, while other preparations will not exceed 50 ppm. A draft of these standards is expected to be finalized by May 30 next year at the latest.
Shengchang Pharmaceutical's "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang" contains lead levels that do not meet Hong Kong's regulations but can still be sold in Taiwan. Yesterday, the Department of Health presented a special report on the health standards for concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations to the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee. Legislators from both the Democratic Progressive Party (Chen Ying, Huang Shuying) and the Kuomintang (Luo Shulei, Zheng Rufen) criticized the current heavy metal limit standards as too lenient.
In addition to heavy metals, the Department of Health will also regulate pesticide residues and microbial standards for specific traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, including scientific Chinese medicine, receive over NT$90 billion in annual reimbursements from the National Health Insurance. In response to legislators' inquiries, Huang Linhuang, the newly appointed chairman of the Department of Health's Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, admitted that he also finds the current standards unacceptable. The current limit of 100 ppm was adopted from Japanese regulations, but Japan has since revised its standard to 30 ppm.
Huang believes that the total heavy metal content for 20 commonly used concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, including Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, should be set below 30 ppm. "These 20 preparations account for 80% to 85% of total usage." If any of these 20 preparations exceed 30 ppm, additional tests for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury will be required, with levels below 3 ppm to meet the standard.
For other concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, the total heavy metal content must not exceed 50 ppm. Huang explained that this is because some traditional Chinese medicines may contain metals like copper and zinc, and the feasibility for manufacturers to meet the standards must also be considered.
Chen Ying's testing of commercially available scientific concentrated traditional Chinese medicines also revealed that out of 18 samples of Shujing Huoxue Tang, only two met the crude fiber content standards. In response, Huang Linhuang pledged to propose a draft health and safety standard for concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations by the end of May next year, aiming to set crude fiber content below 1%.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS2/ 5308837. shtml
(Central News Agency reporter Wen Li-hsiang, Taipei, 14th)
Supervisory Commissioner Cheng Jen-hung stated today that the Control Yuan has assigned him to investigate a case regarding the testing standards and management issues of heavy metals in traditional Chinese medicine. He expects to complete the investigation and submit a report within three months.
In the afternoon, the Control Yuan held a human rights protection committee meeting. Cheng Jen-hung mentioned in an evening interview that due to public health concerns over excessive heavy metal content in traditional Chinese medicine, he proactively applied during the meeting to investigate whether government agencies have fulfilled their duties in management and testing standards.
Cheng Jen-hung noted that during his tenure at the Consumers' Foundation, quarterly tests were conducted on heavy metal content in traditional Chinese medicine, and the issue of excessive heavy metals has persisted for a long time.
He pointed out that in terms of traditional Chinese medicine management, Hong Kong regulates heavy metal content by individual items, while Taiwan adopts an aggregate approach. This discrepancy led to a situation where a pharmaceutical company's blood-activating and stasis-resolving concentrated preparation, "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang," was found to exceed lead content standards in Hong Kong last month and was ordered to be recalled. However, since the total heavy metal content complied with Taiwan's legal requirements, the product remained legally sold in Taiwan.
From the perspective of protecting consumer rights, Cheng Jen-hung emphasized that people who consume traditional Chinese medicine should not be treated as second-class citizens. The government should establish stricter testing standards and management systems for heavy metals in traditional Chinese medicine to safeguard public health. 981214
Source: http:/ / www. cna. com. tw/ Search……oDetail. aspx? id=200912140287
[Reporter Wang Changmin / Taipei Report]
The limit standards for harmful heavy metals in concentrated traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations are set to become significantly stricter! The Department of Health announced yesterday that within six months, it will impose strict limits on four heavy metals—arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury—in 20 commonly used concentrated TCM preparations, capping them at 3 ppm. Any product exceeding the limit for even one of these metals will be required to be pulled from shelves and recalled.
**20 Regulated Items—Any Single Excess Requires Recall**
Originally, the Department of Health planned to allow products with total heavy metal content below 30 ppm to pass directly, while those between 30 and 50 ppm would require additional testing for the four harmful heavy metals. However, under pressure from Legislator Chen Ying yesterday, Huang Linhuang, chairman of the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, committed to a new policy: regardless of total heavy metal content, if any of the four harmful heavy metals exceeds 3 ppm, the product must be recalled. The Department of Health will complete the draft regulations within six months.
Huang Linhuang stated that these 20 concentrated TCM products include Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, accounting for 80% to 85% of National Health Insurance reimbursements. The remaining 300 to 400 products will also be gradually regulated. Facing potential strong opposition from TCM merchants, Huang Linhuang expressed that he would seize the public momentum and societal expectations for TCM safety to push forward with full effort.
**Legislator Criticizes—Xuefu Zhuyu Tang Voluntarily Recalled**
Recently, "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang," produced by Taiwan’s GMP-certified pharmaceutical company Sheng Chang, was reported to contain 17 ppm of lead in Hong Kong, exceeding the local standard of 8.95 ppm. However, it complies with Taiwan’s current regulation of total metal content below 100 ppm, allowing it to be legally sold in Taiwan. Yesterday, legislators criticized this standard as too lenient.
Huang Linhuang noted that although the manufacturer did not violate Taiwan’s standards, the product was voluntarily recalled yesterday. As for other products on the market that may meet the current total metal content standard but exceed 3 ppm for a single harmful heavy metal, he advised the public, "Don’t consume them."
Between June and August this year, Legislator Chen Ying’s office conducted random tests on 10 of the most commonly used standardized concentrated TCM formulations, submitting 180 samples from 10 manufacturers to the Department of Health’s Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs for testing. A small number of samples were found to exceed 3 ppm for harmful heavy metals. Huang Linhuang stated that the Department of Health will soon publish the report online for public reference.
Source: http:/ / www. libertytimes. com. ……9/ new/ dec/ 15/ today- life2. htm
TVBS 2009-12-14 19:34
In fact, the Department of Health began announcing revisions to standards last year, initially tightening regulations for 10 types of prescriptions to below 50ppm. In July of this year, another six types were announced, with limits not exceeding 30ppm, and this will gradually extend to all scientific Chinese medicines in the future. However, even at 30ppm, toxicology experts emphasize that for toxic heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, consuming just one packet of Chinese herbal powder per day could still exceed safe levels, equivalent to chronic poisoning. Moreover, the standards in the U.S. and even mainland China are set at 20ppm.
Source: http://n. yam. com/ view/ mkvideopage. php/ 20091214936510
Stricter Limits on Heavy Metals in Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations
Domestic heavy metal limit standards for traditional Chinese medicine preparations have long been criticized as overly lenient. The Department of Health has announced plans to revise these standards downward.
Photo by Reporter Hu Jingzhou
The heavy metal limit standards for domestic concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations have long been criticized as too lenient. The Department of Health stated that it will lower the limit standards to 30 ppm for 20 commonly used preparations, including Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, while other preparations will not exceed 50 ppm. A draft of these standards is expected to be finalized by May 30 next year at the latest.
Shengchang Pharmaceutical's "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang" contains lead levels that do not meet Hong Kong's regulations but can still be sold in Taiwan. Yesterday, the Department of Health presented a special report on the health standards for concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations to the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee. Legislators from both the Democratic Progressive Party (Chen Ying, Huang Shuying) and the Kuomintang (Luo Shulei, Zheng Rufen) criticized the current heavy metal limit standards as too lenient.
In addition to heavy metals, the Department of Health will also regulate pesticide residues and microbial standards for specific traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, including scientific Chinese medicine, receive over NT$90 billion in annual reimbursements from the National Health Insurance. In response to legislators' inquiries, Huang Linhuang, the newly appointed chairman of the Department of Health's Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, admitted that he also finds the current standards unacceptable. The current limit of 100 ppm was adopted from Japanese regulations, but Japan has since revised its standard to 30 ppm.
Huang believes that the total heavy metal content for 20 commonly used concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, including Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, should be set below 30 ppm. "These 20 preparations account for 80% to 85% of total usage." If any of these 20 preparations exceed 30 ppm, additional tests for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury will be required, with levels below 3 ppm to meet the standard.
For other concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations, the total heavy metal content must not exceed 50 ppm. Huang explained that this is because some traditional Chinese medicines may contain metals like copper and zinc, and the feasibility for manufacturers to meet the standards must also be considered.
Chen Ying's testing of commercially available scientific concentrated traditional Chinese medicines also revealed that out of 18 samples of Shujing Huoxue Tang, only two met the crude fiber content standards. In response, Huang Linhuang pledged to propose a draft health and safety standard for concentrated traditional Chinese medicine preparations by the end of May next year, aiming to set crude fiber content below 1%.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS2/ 5308837. shtml
Supervisory Committee to Report on Heavy Metals in Chinese Medicine within 3 Months
Supervisory Commissioner Cheng Jen-hung stated today that the Control Yuan has assigned him to investigate a case regarding the testing standards and management issues of heavy metals in traditional Chinese medicine. He expects to complete the investigation and submit a report within three months.
In the afternoon, the Control Yuan held a human rights protection committee meeting. Cheng Jen-hung mentioned in an evening interview that due to public health concerns over excessive heavy metal content in traditional Chinese medicine, he proactively applied during the meeting to investigate whether government agencies have fulfilled their duties in management and testing standards.
Cheng Jen-hung noted that during his tenure at the Consumers' Foundation, quarterly tests were conducted on heavy metal content in traditional Chinese medicine, and the issue of excessive heavy metals has persisted for a long time.
He pointed out that in terms of traditional Chinese medicine management, Hong Kong regulates heavy metal content by individual items, while Taiwan adopts an aggregate approach. This discrepancy led to a situation where a pharmaceutical company's blood-activating and stasis-resolving concentrated preparation, "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang," was found to exceed lead content standards in Hong Kong last month and was ordered to be recalled. However, since the total heavy metal content complied with Taiwan's legal requirements, the product remained legally sold in Taiwan.
From the perspective of protecting consumer rights, Cheng Jen-hung emphasized that people who consume traditional Chinese medicine should not be treated as second-class citizens. The government should establish stricter testing standards and management systems for heavy metals in traditional Chinese medicine to safeguard public health. 981214
Source: http:/ / www. cna. com. tw/ Search……oDetail. aspx? id=200912140287
Chinese Medicine Concentrates Recalled for Exceeding 3ppm of Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, or Mercury
The limit standards for harmful heavy metals in concentrated traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations are set to become significantly stricter! The Department of Health announced yesterday that within six months, it will impose strict limits on four heavy metals—arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury—in 20 commonly used concentrated TCM preparations, capping them at 3 ppm. Any product exceeding the limit for even one of these metals will be required to be pulled from shelves and recalled.
**20 Regulated Items—Any Single Excess Requires Recall**
Originally, the Department of Health planned to allow products with total heavy metal content below 30 ppm to pass directly, while those between 30 and 50 ppm would require additional testing for the four harmful heavy metals. However, under pressure from Legislator Chen Ying yesterday, Huang Linhuang, chairman of the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, committed to a new policy: regardless of total heavy metal content, if any of the four harmful heavy metals exceeds 3 ppm, the product must be recalled. The Department of Health will complete the draft regulations within six months.
Huang Linhuang stated that these 20 concentrated TCM products include Jiawei Xiaoyao San and Liuwei Dihuang Wan, accounting for 80% to 85% of National Health Insurance reimbursements. The remaining 300 to 400 products will also be gradually regulated. Facing potential strong opposition from TCM merchants, Huang Linhuang expressed that he would seize the public momentum and societal expectations for TCM safety to push forward with full effort.
**Legislator Criticizes—Xuefu Zhuyu Tang Voluntarily Recalled**
Recently, "Xuefu Zhuyu Tang," produced by Taiwan’s GMP-certified pharmaceutical company Sheng Chang, was reported to contain 17 ppm of lead in Hong Kong, exceeding the local standard of 8.95 ppm. However, it complies with Taiwan’s current regulation of total metal content below 100 ppm, allowing it to be legally sold in Taiwan. Yesterday, legislators criticized this standard as too lenient.
Huang Linhuang noted that although the manufacturer did not violate Taiwan’s standards, the product was voluntarily recalled yesterday. As for other products on the market that may meet the current total metal content standard but exceed 3 ppm for a single harmful heavy metal, he advised the public, "Don’t consume them."
Between June and August this year, Legislator Chen Ying’s office conducted random tests on 10 of the most commonly used standardized concentrated TCM formulations, submitting 180 samples from 10 manufacturers to the Department of Health’s Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs for testing. A small number of samples were found to exceed 3 ppm for harmful heavy metals. Huang Linhuang stated that the Department of Health will soon publish the report online for public reference.
Source: http:/ / www. libertytimes. com. ……9/ new/ dec/ 15/ today- life2. htm
Worse Than Mainland! Heavy Metal Limits in Xiaoyao San at 50ppm
In fact, the Department of Health began announcing revisions to standards last year, initially tightening regulations for 10 types of prescriptions to below 50ppm. In July of this year, another six types were announced, with limits not exceeding 30ppm, and this will gradually extend to all scientific Chinese medicines in the future. However, even at 30ppm, toxicology experts emphasize that for toxic heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, consuming just one packet of Chinese herbal powder per day could still exceed safe levels, equivalent to chronic poisoning. Moreover, the standards in the U.S. and even mainland China are set at 20ppm.
Source: http://n. yam. com/ view/ mkvideopage. php/ 20091214936510