"My Hair Fell Out From Restaurant Odor"...Balding Photos Spark Controversy as Stench Hits 10 Times the Limit

Stressed by stinky tofu restaurant odor
Actual odor level 10 times the limit...restaurant fined 27 million won

Mr. A's thread.

A resident in Taiwan has sparked controversy by claiming to have suffered hair loss symptoms because of the smell of stinky tofu coming from a nearby restaurant.

According to the English-language outlet Focus Taiwan of the Central News Agency (CNA) and other reports on February 12 (local time), Mr. A, who lives in Zhongshan District of Taipei, posted a complaint with photos on social media the previous day.

Mr. A claimed that he experienced extreme stress due to the strong odor from a stinky tofu restaurant near Jiannan Road MRT Station. He said that in the process he kept pulling out his hair, leading to hair loss so severe that the top of his head became exposed. The post also included a photo of his balding scalp and an image of an ointment prescribed at a hospital.

As the controversy grew, the Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection stated that it had already carried out several inspections and improvement measures for the restaurant. According to the authorities, since the restaurant opened in December 2024, it has been the subject of a concentrated number of complaints related to foul odors.

During an on-site inspection on February 9 last year, the odor concentration was measured at more than 10 times the legal limit, confirming a violation of regulations, and an administrative fine of about 585,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately 26.9 million won) was imposed. At that time, the measured value was 71, far exceeding the permissible limit of 10 for residential and commercial areas.

After the restaurant installed exhaust purification equipment and deodorizing devices, a follow-up inspection on April 20 of the same year found that the readings had fallen below the threshold, and odor-related complaints decreased to about two to three cases per month. The authorities explained that no particular problems had been found in subsequent inspections.

However, as related complaints have recently resurfaced and spread mainly on social media, leading to an increase in grievances, the Department of Environmental Protection announced that it plans to conduct another on-site assessment after the Lunar New Year holidays. It also asked residents to specify the exact locations where the foul odor is actually occurring.