The Control Yuan has urged the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to set up more air quality monitoring stations nationwide after an investigation initiated by Control Yuan members found that fine-particulate air pollution had become much more widespread in the country and was the cause of about 440 cardiovascular deaths in Taipei each year.
The investigation, launched last year by Control Yuan members Chou Yang-shan (周陽山) and Yin Jeo-chen (尹祚芊), found that while fine particles have been proven to have adverse health effects on humans, little research has been conducted thus far by the Academia Sinica, the National Science Council and the Department of Health (DOH) on the matter.
Singling out the department, the report said that the department had only carried out one research project pertaining to the hazardous pollutant over the past five years and had allocated no resources whatsoever to address the matter last year and this year.
“The department has also failed to make the best of the research advantages of the National Health Research Institutes, which put it on suspicion of neglecting a [major] problem,” the report said.
Fine particles are defined as particles with an aerodynamic diameter of or less than 2.5mm and can easily travel into a human’s respiratory tract and cardiovascular system through inhalation.
The main sources of such particles include sandstorms and emissions from petrochemical plants and vehicles.
Symptoms of exposure to fine-particulate pollution can include minor reactions, such as skin allergies, eye irritation and coughing, or more aggravated reactions in the form of asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and cardiovascular disease.
Research statistics show that in the past 14 years, an average of 16 people from Taipei and New Taipei City (新北市) die of cardiovascular diseases whenever a sandstorm strikes the area.
In the region, a total of 4,400 people have died of similar diseases due to such storms, which usually occur between November and May, during the past decade.
The report said that based on EPA estimates, more than 30 percent of the fine particles in Taiwan came from other countries, such as China, where sandstorms run rampant, and that only 57 air quality monitoring stations have been established nationwide to keep track of the country’s fine particle concentration.
“The EPA should intensively set up more monitoring stations across Taiwan, in particular along the country’s western coast and at downwind locations from the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, the Yunlin Offshore Industrial Park and the Kaoshiung Linhai Industrial Park, so that concerned authorities could receive an alert when air pollutants reach hazardous level and respond by calling off schools in those areas,” the report said.
The report also mentioned the passive attitude demonstrated by DOH officials and called on the department to put in place emergency countermeasures.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS