Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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Tests by the Centre for Food Safety found six samples from 600-milliliter bottles of Speed Sports Drink and Speed Sports Drink Lemon Flavour were laced with 11 to 43 parts per million of the plasticizer DEHP - or up to 17 times the tolerable level of 1.5 ppm set by the World Health Organization.
Thirty samples of sports drinks, fruit and jelly were taken last week with the results for nine released yesterday. Three drink samples were not contaminated.
The results for the other samples will be announced later this week. Centre for Food Safety controller Constance Chan Hon-yee said consuming the drinks occasionally is tolerable.
"But those drinking half or one bottle every day and for a long period could suffer from some health impacts, as according to World Health Organization, [DEHP] is harmful to liver, kidney and [can cause] cancer," she said.
DEHP, or di(2-ethylnexyl) phthalate, is currently excluded from regular food surveillance programs. However, the department will consider making adjustments depending on the results of the test samples, she added.
The chemical is banned for use in foods in many places but in Taiwan it has been used to keep emulsions in drinks evenly dispersed. Heston Kwong Kwok-wai, assistant director of health (special health services), also reported that Brand's Calcium Grow Chewable Tablets - recalled last Friday - were found to contain 40 ppm of DEHP, or about 50 micrograms per tablet.
A total of 4,608 boxes of tablets have been imported from Taiwan since 2009 with 2,351 sold. "According to the Department of Health's risk assessment, taking such DEHP-contaminated calcium tablets will not cause immediate harm to health," he said.
Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok said the government will continue to monitor Taiwan products including sports and fruit drinks, tea, jams, syrup and calcium supplements.
Local travel agencies said Taiwan- bound tours have not been affected so far and they are not worried since there are alternative food products.
Meanwhile, Taiwan authorities swooped on vendors at the renowned Shilin Night Market who were selling drinks containing DEHP.
Taiwan health minister Chui We
n- Ta Chiu said authorities will continue to inspect hot spots but added there is no need to close the market.
Taipei's Health Food and Drug Division head Chiang Yu-mei said Jin Guoo Wang Food Co was fined NT$150,000 (HK$40,400) for supplying a DEHP- laced clouding agent to 49 stalls in Shilin and Beitou districts for making drinks
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