More industrial plants were added to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) list of controlled sites.

A recently completed EPA investigation found nine industrial plants to be expelling excessive levels of toxic solvents into soil and groundwater, says the agency.

According to the investigation report, nine facilities in Hsinchu, Miaoli and Changhua counties, as well as in Taoyuan, discharged excessive concentrations of restricted chemicals into 4.5 hectares of land and into groundwater.

The agency says the nine firms exposed by the investigation used the solvents to rinse off lubricants or engine oils from machinery.

The toxic liquids contaminated nearby soil or groundwater through cracks in decrepit pipelines and storage tanks, states the report.

The EPA says that it has the authority to order proprietors to suspend or partially suspend operations.

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