The EPA has published the results of tests on environmental agents on the market in 2015: the pass rate was 99.04%. The EPA tested the active ingredients of 112 environmental agents and found that 99.11% of them contained active ingredients as labeled. The EPA also discovered 24 counterfeit environmental agents sold without permits. The EPA has ordered all of these 24 products to be removed from shelves, and vendors have been penalized according to the law.

To ensure that consumers buy safe, legal and effective environmental agents rather than those of dubious origin – thus safeguarding public health and reducing the environmental load – every year the EPA formulates an Environmental Agent Inspection Plan. The plan is sent to local environmental protection bureaus for implementation. The plan stipulates that the bureaus should conduct random checks of advertisements and labeling for environmental agents, test for fake or banned products, and undertake random sampling content tests. The bureaus are also advised to pay special attention to dollar stores, flower markets, traditional wet markets, pesticide retailers, grocery stores and night markets.

The results of the EPA inspection of environmental agents available on the market in 2015 have been published. The labeling of 29,265 individual items was examined, with 281 items failing to meet EPA requirements. The EPA also tested the active ingredients of 112 products, of which 99.11% contained active ingredients as labeled. The EPA also discovered 24 products being sold without permits. Among the 24 unregistered products, seven of them were found to contain mirex, a chemical compound banned by the EPA and listed as a persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention. The EPA has ordered that all of these unregistered products be removed from store shelves, and their vendors have been punished according to the law.

At present, there are 754 environmental agents that have been granted approval for sale by the EPA. These products have been rigorously tested and screened by the government, so there is no need for members of the public to buy dubious products online that often come with exaggerated claims about their efficacy. Consumers can recognize approved products by the EPA codes on the labels: Either “EPA Manufacturing No.OOOO” or “EPA Export No.OOOO”.

The EPA has established an environmental agent permit inquiring system (http://mdc.epa.gov.tw/MDC/search/search_License.aspx) that allows consumers to check whether or not a product is legally registered by simply entering the product’s name or permit number. The website also gives information on insect repellents that contain natural ingredients, and details of vendors of registered environmental agents and pest control enterprises. The EPA also has a website (http://mdc.epa.gov.tw/EVagents/EVSecurity/EVIndex.aspx) dedicated to the safe use of environmental agents, which also provides information on legally registered environmental agents and those that failed the EPA’s inspections or tests.