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The Renwu incident was a
The Renwu incident was a soil pollution
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
event at the Formosa Plastics Corporation's Renwu Plant in Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...
, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
In 2009, the Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration
The Ministry of Environment (MOENV; ), formerly the Environmental Protection Administration, is a cabinet-level ministry responsible for protecting and conserving the environment in Taiwan. The ministry's scope includes air quality, noise contro ...
(EPA) found that the soil and the groundwater in the area close to Formosa Plastics' Renwu Plant has been polluted by benzene
Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...
, chloroform
Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...
, dichloromethane
Dichloromethane (DCM, methylene chloride, or methylene bichloride) is an organochlorine compound with the formula . This colorless, volatile liquid with a chloroform-like, sweet odor is widely used as a solvent. Although it is not miscible with ...
, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,1,2-Trichloroethane, vinyl trichloride or 1,1,2-TCA, is an organochloride solvent with the molecular formula and the structural formula . It is a colourless, sweet-smelling liquid that does not dissolve in water, but is soluble in most organic ...
, 1,1-dichloroethylene
1,1-Dichloroethylene, commonly called vinylidene chloride or 1,1-DCE, is an organochloride with the molecular formula . It is a colorless liquid with a sharp odor. Like most chlorocarbons, it is poorly soluble in water but soluble in organic solv ...
, tetrachloroethylene
Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or under the systematic name tetrachloroethene, and abbreviations such as perc (or PERC), and PCE, is a chlorocarbon with the formula . It is a non-flammable, stable, colorless and heavy liqu ...
, trichloroethylene
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an organochloride with the formula C2HCl3, commonly used as an industrial metal-degreasing solvent. It is a clear, colourless, non-flammable, volatile liquid with a chloroform-like pleasant mild smell and sweet taste.
, and vinylchloride
Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula H2C =CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) or chloroethene. It is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Vinyl chloride is a ...
. The pollutants were all present at levels over 20 times the government standard; and most frighteningly, the levels of 1,2-dichloroethane were 30,000 times higher than the standard.
The Formosa Plastics' Renwu Plant had already discovered the soil pollution in 2006, and they had tried to reinforce the structure of their wastewater pit, but the reinforcement work was never completed.
Since the pollution was severe, the residents of the nearby area and an Elected Representative lodged protests, hoping that the Renwu plant could shut down. In April 2010, the EPA proposed a fine on Formosa Plastic' Renwu Plant to NT$150 million (US$4.7 million) for causing soil and groundwater pollution.
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