Chinese caught in disposable tableware panic
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E-mail Xinhua, March 21, 2013
Online complaints targeting low-quality disposable tableware have raised health and environmental concerns among Chinese netizens once again.
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Well-known actor Huang Bo recently posted a picture of a pair of throwaway chopsticks soaked in plain boiled water on Sina Weibo. [Photo/Sina Weibo] |
Well-known actor Huang Bo recently posted a picture of a pair of throwaway chopsticks soaked in plain boiled water on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
"Within several minutes, the clean water turns into a dark yellow mixture, releasing a pungent smell," Huang wrote.
The post has been widely forwarded and discussed by netizens, with many expressing concerns about the quality of the disposable tableware they use.
"The money-greedy businessmen are making crazy bucks at the expense of our health. It is so sad!" wrote one netizen.
Many criticized the government's ability to supervise the companies that produce such tableware, while others expressed worry about the environmental impact of disposable chopsticks.
Mo Chuangrong, a professor with the school of environment of Guangxi University in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the odor exuded by the disposable chopsticks may indicate that the chopsticks had been whitened using sulfur.
Government regulations state that disposable chopsticks made of green bamboo may be whitened through the use of sulfur, although the amount of sulfur dioxide remaining in the chopsticks should not exceed 600 mg per kilogram, Mo said.
Wooden chopsticks, on the other hand, may not be whitened using sulfur.
The World Health Organization recommends a daily sulfur intake of no greater than 0.7 mg per kilogram of body weight. Long-term exposure to high amounts of sulfur dioxide can cause damage to the human body, especially the respiratory system, according to experts.
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