To ensure that consumers use legal, safe and effective environmental agents, the EPA formulates an annual environmental agent inspection plan and requests through official letters that local environmental bureaus implement it. Inspections in 2021 have resulted in a 98% compliance rate. Most violations are sales of mosquito-repellents and insecticides for cockroaches and ants on e-commerce sites without permits.

In 2021, a total of 37,247 inspections (on advertisements, labeling, and counterfeits) and sample tests (on active ingredients) have been conducted with a 99% compliance rate. Of the 8,886 environmental agent advertisements inspected, 274 were found illegal, which were mostly people selling mosquito-repellents and insecticides specifically for cockroaches and ants (see Table 1). Just 274 out of 26,854 labels inspected were illegal. For the 129 inspections on active ingredients in environmental agents, two failed to comply with regulations. Not only so, there were 12 counterfeits, four of which were found to contain Mirex, a persistent organic pollutant banned by the EPA and also on the control list of the Stockholm Convention. Cases that failed the inspections were given penalties, taken off shelves, and required to improve within a period of time according to the Environmental Agents Control Act.

An inquiry system (https://mdc.epa.gov.tw/PublicInfo) is in place for those who wish to know if a purchased environmental agent is approved. Users can just type in the product name or permit number. It also provides information on legal pest control operators or environmental agent sellers. Those interested in learning more about safe environmental agents or looking for which environmental agent products do not comply with regulations can visit https://topic.epa.gov.tw/evsu/mp-8.html.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, July 2021