Legislators have berated the government for another delay in the announcement of a public health scare - this time mosquito coils that can possibly cause cancer.
The Consumer Council announced yesterday that 11 brands of coils were being recalled after they were found to contain a potentially carcinogenic substance.
Nine have almost been retrieved, while the other two, Zebra Brand Superior Mosquito Coils and Lan Ju High-Quality Black Mosquito Repellent Incense, will be on sale until the end of the month.
The council and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department tested 19 samples and found the unregistered pesticide S-2 in 11, all made on the mainland.
A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in September 2003 highlighted the dangers of S-2, which is banned in the United States.
Last week it was revealed there had been a three-week delay in announcing that tinned fish on sale in supermarkets contained the cancer-causing agent malachite green.
