Restaurants can still ask for a second test within 15 days. If the new test proves negative for the toxic substances, then the fine will be canceled, said Hsu Ming-neng, the director of Taipei County’s Public Health Bureau.

Inspectors found excessive levels of arsenic after taking oil from two McDonald’s restaurants in Tucheng and one Domino’s Pizza in Yunghe on June 21. McDonald’s has insisted that oil from the same outlets tested negative for arsenic at a different lab from the one used by the county inspectors.

The new Taipei County regulations will apply not only to arsenic, but to other toxic or unhygienic substances as well.

However, in cases where only the quality of the frying oil had deteriorated because it had not been replaced by fresh oil, fines of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 would apply if the outlets failed a second test, Hsu said. Before arsenic turned up, county inspectors found that oil at several fast food outlets had not been replaced every six hours, as regulations demand, but only once every four days or even less.

Repeated failures to reach the official maximum limits would lead to repeated fines, and eventually a temporary closure of the restaurant, the county said.

The announcement of the fines came after meetings by county officials with the Cabinet-level Department of Health and Consumer Protection Commission.

McDonald’s issued a statement saying that it would “absolutely respect the legal procedures” and that consumers’ safety and health were its prime concern.

The company also said that the latest list of 183 oil tests published by the DOH Sunday showed that all fast food restaurants, including its own, respected official standards.

Taipei County Legal Affairs Bureau Director Chen Kun-jung expressed his dissatisfaction with the way McDonald’s had used the media to respond to the original test results. The company should work within the system and comply with regulations, Chen said.

As Taipei County continued its investigations, Taipei City announced problems with the frying oil at five out of 214 fast food outlets and 54 small restaurants tested. The problematic locations included three out of the five Mister Donut outlets tested, officials said.

The restaurants had seven days to improve the situation before they would face a second round of tests, officials said.

A total of 270 fast food restaurants in the capital would be inspected before July 15. Within two weeks, all night markets, food plazas, supermarkets, shopping malls will be covered by the inspectors.