Taiwan West Sixth Naphtha Cracker pollution victims jointly seek 70.17 million in compensation; is it a public nuisance? First instance rules "refer to the Environmental Protection Administration for appraisal"
Residents of Taixi Township are unhappy that behind the Sixth Naphtha Cracker's high profits, what has been sacrificed is the public's health! Formosa Plastics Group's Sixth Naphtha Cracker refinery in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County, has been operating for exactly 20 years. Over the years, nearby residents have found that cancer rates have been rising steadily, and they suspect the source of pollution is the black smoke emitted by the Sixth Naphtha Cracker. A National Taiwan University study confirmed that residents of Taixi and Mailiao next to the Sixth Naphtha Cracker have a cancer rate 1.29 times higher than elsewhere, with even higher proportions among women and the elderly.
In August 2015, 74 people suffering from cancer, or family members of Taixi residents who died of cancer, formed the "Taixi Township Sixth Naphtha Cracker Pollution Injury Joint Compensation Self-Rescue Association" and filed a lawsuit over the damage caused by Sixth Naphtha Cracker pollution, seeking 70.17 million yuan in compensation from five companies: Formosa Plastics Corporation, Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation, and Mailiao Power Corporation.
The lawsuit has taken more than three years, and a hearing was held again yesterday (the 31st), once again discussing the question of whether the "Sixth Naphtha Cracker pollution case is a public nuisance." In the end, the first-instance court ruled: the case is to be referred to the Environmental Protection Administration for appraisal. Members of the self-rescue association said in response that residents have limited time and called on the court not to delay the ruling any further.
