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Elementary school allowed to relocate amid serious health concern

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Elementary school allowed to relocate amid serious health concern

School allowed to relocate amid health concern

Taiwan’s government has decided to move an elementary school that is located only 900 meters from highly polluting petrochemical factories in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County to another school in a neighboring township amid serious health concern for the school children. The air pollution caused by Formosa Petrochemical Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant in Mailiao has been suspected to be linked to the high cancer rates among the residents of two neighboring townships, Miaoliao and Taishi. The Yunlin County Government had passed autonomous regulations to prohibit the burning of heavily polluting coals, but the legislation was overruled by the central government of the previous administration, citing authority over energy policy. The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) on Monday released the results of a study it conducted since 2013 on the influence of the Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant Industrial Area on the health of neighboring schoolchildren. The results found that the thiodiglycolic acid (TdGA) levels in the urine of the school children of the Syucuo branch, which is closest to the industrial area, is remarkably higher than those of school children in other areas, a clear evidence that the level was influenced by the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and heavy metals released by the petrochemical factories in the area. Thiodiglycolic acid (TdGA) is the major metabolite of VCM detected in human urine. Urinary TdGA has been reported to be associated with ambient VCM exposure. The study also suggests that the farther away from the petrochemical area the lower the urinary TdGA levels of school children, the Ministry of Health and Welfare ( MOHW) said, recommending relocation of the school despite the fact a final report has yet been released. The Executive Yuan said in a statement on Monday morning that Premier Lin Chuan has approved to relocate Syucuo branch to Fengrong Elementary School in neighboring Lunbei Township. Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan said the Ministry of Education (MOE) has also been preparing for the school's relocation to safeguard the health of the school children. He said the MOE has allocated NT$872,000 for Fengrong school to upgrade its classroom facilities and increase teaching equipment, adding that the project is expected to complete before the school opens on Aug 29. Meanwhile, the Yulin County Government said the county’s position to ensure the school children’s health and right to education has been firm.