Kaohsiung is to become the first city in the nation to impose a fine on restaurants that pollute the air and will also to require larger venues to install decontamination facilities.
A city bylaw, which is expected to take effect this month, stipulates that restaurants of a certain scale are to be included in the city’s air and water pollution management plan and they will have to install pollution prevention devices to curb indoor pollution, the Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau said.
The bylaw would cover restaurants in residential areas that are larger than 70 ping (231m2) or have more than 30 seats, as well as restaurants in commercial areas that are larger than 100 ping or have more than 85 seats, the bureau said.
About 200 restaurants would be affected by the new measures, it said.
The restaurants will have to install kitchen fume treatment systems, grease removal equipment and dust removal devices, the bureau said, adding that violators could be subject to a fine of up to NT$50,000, but there is no limit on the number of fines that could be issued to one establishment.
The legislation was drafted in response to about 4,000 complaints made against restaurants each year, which account for a majority of the complaints the bureau receives.
Restaurant air quality gained public attention after research conducted by National Taiwan University environmental engineering professor Lee Whei-may (李慧梅) found that grill restaurant customers are exposed to high levels of harmful substances, including formaldehyde, ethanal, benzene and fine particulate matter measuring under 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) in diameter, which are all carcinogenic.
Levels of PM2.5 and PM10 increase between 10 and 100 times when grease drips onto charcoal, increasing the risk of lung diseases and cancer, the study found.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration said restaurant air quality is not covered by the Indoor Air Quality Management Act (室內空氣品質管理法), the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) or the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
The Kaohsiung bylaw might be the first attempt to close this loophole, although it does not set a maximum allowed level for pollutants. However, the EPA said that it was optimistic that the new rule would prove effective.
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