Betel nut regulation law falls through, oral cancer deaths hit 10-year high, all sectors call for legislation

In 2019, oral cancer deaths exceeded three thousand, hitting a 10-year high! December 3 this year is the 24th Betel Nut Prevention Day. The Taiwan Betel Nut Prevention and Oral Cancer Prevention Alliance today (the 2nd) released the oral cancer prevention situation and survey results for all counties and cities across Taiwan. Scholars and civil society groups called on the government to promptly enact a "Betel Nut Prevention Act."

Betel nut is the second-largest crop across Taiwan, yet in the past there were no regulations at all on pesticides or food additives. Last year, News&Market sampled betel nuts on the market and found severe residues of both pesticides and heavy metals. Last December, Executive Yuan Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i stated that a betel nut act would be enacted, and several Control Yuan members also launched an investigation into betel nut management. The investigation report clearly pointed out: the Executive Yuan needs to integrate the relevant ministries and formulate a special law for management.

A year later, the Council of Agriculture finally took the first step toward regulating pesticide use on betel nut, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare still insists on refusing to establish food-related regulations for betel nut, and the betel nut act that all sectors had hoped for is even further out of reach.

Oral cancer deaths have not fallen but risen, taking three thousand lives every year

There are over a million betel nut chewers nationwide, yet the pesticides, heavy metals, and additives in betel nut are entirely unregulated. For thirty years the government has adopted a "three noes" strategy of "no guidance, no encouragement, no prohibition." This has not only caused ecological devastation but also severely endangered national health. And now even the most basic health education work lacks funding and manpower.

The alliance's survey results show that across all 22 counties and cities, betel nut cessation health education services are collapsing year by year. In 2017, 60,000 people received betel nut cessation services; in 2018, only 20,000; in 2019, fewer than 10,000 remained. In 2019, oral cancer deaths even exceeded 3,000, reaching a 10-year high. The Taiwan Betel Nut Prevention and Oral Cancer Prevention Alliance calls on the central government to continue actively formulating a "Betel Nut Harm Prevention Act" so that frontline workers can effectively carry out prevention work.

Survey team convener Li Ming-hsien, a professor in the Department of Education and Human Potentials Development at National Dong Hwa University, explained that over these four years, National Health Insurance spending on oral cancer has risen year after year, and deaths have not fallen but risen. Over the past ten years, deaths have reached 27,959. Compared with Covid-19, oral cancer takes more than 3,000 lives each year, posing an even greater threat to the health and safety of the people.

Li Ming-hsien pointed out that the factors causing oral cancer are greatly related to betel nut chewing, but on the policy side, there is little performance evaluation for betel nut and oral cancer prevention; the oral cancer prevention and treatment support provided by primary-level hospitals is limited; and follow-up care and cessation after being sent to hospital both lack manpower and funding. Prevention issues promoted by schools at all levels, communities, hospitals, and health bureaus have also not been effectively integrated, and there is a huge gap in the degree of attention given to tobacco harm and betel nut prevention on campuses. "Compared with tobacco, betel nut is almost ignored."

The Executive Yuan promised to enact a special law, but a year later it fell through

After News&Market's betel nut special report was published last July, it attracted widespread attention from all sectors. Last December, Executive Yuan Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i declared that it would be compared