The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday urged people thinking of what they will buy with the government’s consumer vouchers next year to opt for Green Mark products to protect the environment.
“A fifth of the nation’s pollution come from volatile organic compounds [VOC] emitted from consumer products such as nail polish, incense, white-out, paint, paper money [for religious rituals] and air-fresheners,” EPA Director-General of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Yang Ching-shi (楊慶熙) said. “When these things evaporate and are inhaled by people, the substances can cause harm the respiratory system or irritate the skin.”
The number of bad air quality days has been reduced in recent years, but VOCs — most commonly benzene, toluene and formaldehyde — still contribute to smog formation, Yang said.
“When VOCs and nitrogen oxide from factories and motor vehicles react under the sun, smog — or ground level ozone — is formed,” Yang said.
Unlike the ozone layer that protects the Earth from ultraviolet rays, ground level ozone causes asthma, chest discomfort and damage to lung tissue, he said.
Though 44 percent of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) emitted in the country come from factories and 29 percent from transportation, 19 percent of the pollutants come from burning incense and candles or painting homes or fingernails, Yang said.
The EPA plans to regulate VOC content levels in consumer products the way Hong Kong, Canada and California have done and it will try to persuade the public to choose VOC-free or low-VOC products, Yang said.
“We encourage people to refrain from using VOC-laden products and choose alternatives instead,” he said.
“For example, instead of using air-fresheners, people can deodorize with coffee grounds or sliced lemons. They can opt for water-based paints when decorating homes and offices, and choose adhesives that are environmentally friendly,” he said.
If people must use products containing VOCs, they should make sure that their space is well ventilated, he said.
“A good way to identify these products is from the smell — most products containing VOCs have a sharp and distinct odor or fragrance,” Yang said.
Products that easily dry out when left open to the air or those that cannot be easily washed out by water may also contain VOCs, he said.
“As the government is giving out NT$3,600 in consumer vouchers to each Taiwanese next year, we are urging people to spend their vouchers wisely and on products that will not harm the environment,” Yang said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese