What Has Happened to Taoyuan-the RCA Event

    Issues which industrialization have caused like water pollution, air pollution and earth pollution, may be the most important challenge countries have to face nowadays. Taiwan is also suffered from these terrible problems. For instance, RCA event, also known as RCA water and earth pollution, one of the most serious pollution event that happened in Taoyuan area.

In the time of The Legendary Economic Miracle of Taiwan, many foreign corporations had come to Taiwan, and RCA was one of it. RCA, an abbreviation of Radio Corporation of America, is once the biggest appliances-manufacturing company in America. In 1967, it established the first factory of Taiwan in Taoyuan, and was taken over by Thomson Consumer Electronics in 1988. There is no doubt that the corporations promotes the development of industries of Taoyuan and economic progress, but at the same time pollution issues followed.

 

(This picture doesn't belong to me, it belong to: http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/focus/paper/872804 )

 The pollution scandal was exposed in June first, 1994. It was JHAO SHAO-KANG, the legislator at that time, held press conference to expose the truth which their factory had dug many deep well and poured toxic wastes like organic solvents leading to earth and groundwater pollution. According to the result the investigation team from Environmental Protection Administration had found, groundwater near the factory was polluted by 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and trichloroethylene. These volatile organic compounds were often used in electronics industry, it would threat the health of people who live there if they had drunk too much of water. Therefore the next day, groundwater was prohibited to drink. Another doctoral dissertation has mentioned that the contract signed by Thomson Consumer Electronics when buying RCA has refer to “not buying pollution.” That is, the corporation had already knew the land was polluted, but they mean to hide it. Due to RCA event, people who live near the factory can no longer use groundwater until the whole environment system restore to its original state. However, it takes much time to wait.

Moreover, RCA’s employees have high probability to contact pollutants which would influence health and even having cancer. According to Wikipedia, RCA in Taoyuan hire about 25 thousand employees, at least 1,375 out of 2,500 have suffered from cancer in 2001, and 216 had pass away. Many victims heard the truth from media of the cause of their illness. They established Victims of RCA Pollutions Self-Help Association and raised a legal plaint to Thomson Consumer Electronics and RCA in 1998. In 2015, Thomson Consumer Electronics and RCA have to pay 5 hundred 64 million to the victims.

RCA event is the most serious industrial injury event in history, the toxic not only bad influenced people who live nearby and employees in RCA, but also damaged the circumstance system in Taoyuan area. The event is an unforgivable wound for people live in Taoyuan and I believe there will be more event like this one. Nevertheless, with environmental consciousness nowadays, I also believe people can unite and solve the challenge as those employee did.