Yunlin County government issued a fine of NT$1 mln to Formosa Plastics Group

17-Sep-10

The Yunlin County government has issued a NT$1 mln (US$31460) fine to Formosa Plastics Group after almost 100 people got sick due to an allegedly leaked gas at it’s petrochemical complex. An odor pervaded the air on Sept. 9 in Yunlin's Mailiao Township and neighboring Taisi Township, causing dizziness and nausea. Alluding to the Air Pollution Control Act, the county's Environmental Protection Bureau has ordered halt of operations at the naphtha cracker. The bureau’s investigations has revealed that odor on Sept. 13 was due to botched procedures at a naphtha storage tank numbered T8506. Inspectors detected abnormally high concentrations of propane and sulfur dioxide at the plant, with propane concentrations several times higher than the acceptable level, and sulfur dioxide concentrations of 311 parts per billion, above the allowable maximum of 250 ppb, the report said.