Changhua Christian Hospital gynecologist and Taiwan Healthy Air Action Alliance founder Yeh Guang-peng (葉光芃) yesterday said that Taiwan’s regulations on controlling PM10 — fine particles in the air of up to 10 micrometers — are too loose and will cause the most harm to pregnant women, infants and children.
At a press conference held at the Legislative Yuan by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), attended by several doctors, a few legislators and Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) officials, Tien said while the Department of Health has set an annual average “tolerable level of PM10” of 65 micrograms per cubic meter and a 24-hour average of 125 micrograms per cubic meter, the WHO guideline recommends stricter levels, set at 20 micrograms per cubic meter for the annual average and 50 micrograms per cubic meter for the 24-hour average.
Showing research results from the US and Switzerland about the effects of air pollution on pregnant women and children, Yeh said air pollution during pregnancy affects lung function in newborns and reduces growth of the lungs during childhood, adding that “once damage is done to the lungs, it is irreversible.”
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“Air pollution also accelerates lung-function loss and causes lungs to age faster in adults who are often exposed to air pollution” he added.
Yeh said the doctors and civic groups have received three lists from the WHO showing the rankings of several countries according to their PM10 annual average in 2008, 2009, and between 2010 and last year. These statistics clearly showed that Taiwan’s PM10 air pollution was much worse than in several neighbouring countries and areas, such as Japan and Singapore, and about twice the PM10 level in Switzerland.
They urged the EPA to amend and enforce stricter regulations on PM10 to protect Taiwanese, especially pregnant women and children, against lung disease and allow them to feel safe breathing outside every day.
Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Bureau Director-General Hsieh Yen-rui (謝燕儒) said the air quality in Taiwan has actually improved through the years, dropping from a PM10 annual mean of 62.8 micrograms per cubic meter in 2005 to 50.2 micrograms per cubic meter last year, but the administration would continue to reflect on its regulations and strive to improve air quality.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei
RSS