I am quite sure many people are aware of the plasticizer scandal going on in Taiwan. As a Taiwan citizen, I feel ashamed about the manufacturers who are responsible because it is usually China that’s known for these type of scandals, and Taiwan hates being related to China as it claims to be an independent country. This scandal has made many Chinese people alert about Taiwanese made products. Last week, my friend told me that her mom threw away everything they owned that was made in Taiwan. I must admit that the scope of the affected products is so broad that almost everyone in Taiwan must have consumed at least one item that was contained plasticizer. And yes, that includes me because I go to Taiwan every summer. This summer though I will be extra careful…
One thing that Tivona didn’t mention is the impact of consuming plasticizer. Studies have found that plasticizer shrinks the size of a man’s genitals. In Taiwan, a mother who claimed to have consumed at least one drink from the tea shops during pregnancy, carries a 28 week baby boy who has “agenitalia only 0.2 cm long, less than the average newborn baby boy one-tenth the length of the genitals.” How unethical can manufacturers get?
China is notorious for their unethical products. In 2008, some retailers started selling live fish key chains at the marketplace. Despite the negative response for this product, there were still many consumers who were interested in it and bought it. They were told by the retailers that the fish would live for half a year inside the key chain. Really? Who would believe that? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised how ignorant people can be after the riot today in downtown. [Do they live in the wilderness or something? What uncivilized people! Or shall I say, animals?] Anyway, the fish inside can in fact only live up to 15 days if the consumer does not cut the key chain open and release the fish. How many consumers do you think will actually do that? If they had the conscience to buy such a product, I don’t know how good their morals could be.