Protest in Taiwan on failure of EIA to include fine particles for a naphtha cracker expansion project

27-Jul-12

Environmentalists protested against an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for an expansion project at a naphtha cracker complex that failed to include fine particles, as per Taipeitimes. The EIA for the fourth expansion project at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker complex in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township did not list PM2.5 (fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers) as an item in the evaluation. Before the impact assessment meeting, environmentalists gathered in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and called on committee members to reject a proposal to once again expand the plant. The Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union said many accidents had occurred at the naphtha cracker complex in recent years, adding that several epidemiological investigations have shown that the occurrence of several serious diseases among local residents may have been caused by pollution from the plants. Although the developer claims the expansion project will not increase water usage and pollution, the environmentalists believe this is only a bargaining tool to ensure the approval of the project. The Changhua Medical Alliance said that it was irresponsible to not take the health of local residents into consideration, by leaving out the evaluation on PM2.5 levels in the expansion project, when the volatile organic compounds and PM2.5 emissions from the plants may be connected to the occurrence of cancer in people living nearby. The environmental groups urged the EPA to re-evaluate and reduce the total allowable air pollutants emission level and take PM2.5 levels into evaluation before approving the expansion project.