“The present law truly has loopholes in the use of slag and fly ash from metal factories, and we will conduct an overall review and draft necessary amendments to prevent the recurrence of soil contamination, “ said Tu Tzu-chun, director-general of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Tu made the promise while fielding questions at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environment Hygiene Committee, which was convened to review the illegal dumping of industrial waste and the dioxin contamination of duck farms in Daliao, Kaohsiung County and contamination from a carbide slag plant in Cijin, Kaohsiung City.

Speaking on the same occasion, Chang Tzu-ching, deputy minister of the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Commission, said the disposal of slag and fly ash, which are generally waste byproducts of the metal melting process and can be recycled and used as partial substitutes for cement, should be closely monitored and restricted to avoid soil contamination.

“We hope that the IDB will act promptly to plug loopholes and bar the use of steel and carbide slag in fields when it comes in direct contact with the soil,” Chang said.

He also told lawmakers that the EPA has directed environmental protection bureaus in cities and counties around the country to investigate whether there are any new soil contamination cases or new illegal dumps of industrial waste in their administrative districts.