Taiwan agricultural rules?

Feel a little silly posting this but have heard some weird things lately. I buy much of my produce from Costco (bell peppers from BC, Romaine from California etc…) so I’m not too worried, but someone recently told me that some of the Taiwanese “gardeners” use human feces as fertilizer in their crops!!! Not sure if this is true but obviously grossed out by the thought and worried if true.

Also, recently heard a statistic that 1 in 3 people from Taiwan have Hep B?

and finally, we have a reverse osmosis filter on our kitchen tap for drinking water. We have been using regular tap water to brush teeth etc…also, I have young children who take baths every night and sometimes they inadvertantly drink some of the water (eg. sucking on wash clothes etc…). We’ve been here since January, and everyone seems ok. What is the final verdict on the tap water here? Is it completely contaminated (like it is in Mexico or Thailand) or is it somewhat treated.

Sorry for the ignorant questions, but I’m a fretting mother.

[quote=“Michelle71”]Feel a little silly posting this but have heard some weird things lately. I buy much of my produce from Costco (bell peppers from BC, Romaine from California etc…) so I’m not too worried, but someone recently told me that some of the Taiwanese “gardeners” use human feces as fertilizer in their crops!!! Not sure if this is true but obviously grossed out by the thought and worried if true.

Also, recently heard a statistic that 1 in 3 people from Taiwan have Hep B?

and finally, we have a reverse osmosis filter on our kitchen tap for drinking water. We have been using regular tap water to brush teeth etc…also, I have young children who take baths every night and sometimes they inadvertantly drink some of the water (eg. sucking on wash clothes etc…). We’ve been here since January, and everyone seems ok. What is the final verdict on the tap water here? Is it completely contaminated (like it is in Mexico or Thailand) or is it somewhat treated.

Sorry for the ignorant questions, but I’m a fretting mother.[/quote]

I don’t think you need to be worried about having a bath or shower … Taiwan has children too you know, they take baths or showers everyday and still live … brushing your theet isn’t a problem, water in Taiwan is as far as I know treated.

In far gone past farmers in Europe used human waste as fertilizer too, hey … I’m alive to tell you. Maybe in Taiwan they think doing this way is organic … :smiley:

I don’t have any personal knowledge of these things, and I don’t mean to be an alarmist (especially, I don’t want to be a mom-alarmist), but here’s what I found on the Internet, for whatever it might be worth:

[quote]Table 1. Common excreta-recycling practices

Practice / Countries where used
Soil fertilization with untreated excreta: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
Composted excreta used in agriculture: China, India
Excreta fed to animals: China, India, Melanesia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka
Compost latrines: Central America, Vietnam, Europe
Biogas production: China, India, Korea,
Fish food: China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia
Aquatic weed production: Vietnam, South-east Asia[/quote]
Technical Brief No. 63, “Using Human Waste.” Loughborough University (UK), WELL (Water and Environmental Health at London and Loughborough) resource centre, page 121 (pdf page 1).

Abstract of Myo Khin, “Control of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Myanmar: Public Health Issues.” Regional Health Forum WHO South-East Asia Region (Volume 6, Number 2).

[quote]By 1968, research had already produced evidence indicating in Taiwan, the HBsAg carrier rate was relatively high. Subsequently, scientific evidence demonstrated that: (a) a high percentage of liver ailments having a major influence on the health of Taiwan citizens

I spend a lot of time in the mountains / foothills on bike trips and pass through a lot of farming areas and I can concure that there is no doubt that human feces is commonly used to fertilize all manner of crops… the waves of stench you hit sometimes are unmistakeable… :noway:

question is just how thoroughly do you wash your lettuce before eating it?.. :astonished:

Good information…but I’m getting more grossed out. I guess sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.
Some people I know that just moved here from Canada, think they are going to avoid all raw veggies/salad while they’re here. I think this would be going overboard. I can’t imagine doing that.

[quote=“Michelle71”]Good information…but I’m getting more grossed out. I guess sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.
Some people I know that just moved here from Canada, think they are going to avoid all raw veggies/salad while they’re here. I think this would be going overboard. I can’t imagine doing that.[/quote]

I’ve given this advice before: buy organic from Cottonfields, imported, or hydroponic. Don’t worry about a little water getting in your mouth. Everyone brushes their teeth in the water, and some even drink it untreated (though I don’t recommend this: the hiking club goes swimming in one of the small tributaries to river that feeds the water reserve :smiley: ). Take sensible precautions and be glad you are in taiwan and not Mainland China. Taiwan has seen its worst days and there is an immense amount of natural beauty and clean spots to spend your time.

As for hep B, it was a huge problem in the past but is very rare now. Besides, unless you are sharing needles or unprotected sex with the locals you don’t need to worry.

hepnet.com/hepb/worman697.html