New regulations to be promulgated by the end of the year will require a large number of public and commercial venues, including movie theaters, karaoke bars, gyms, libraries and public transportation hubs, to abide by air-quality rules, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has announced.
The agency said the regulations in the Indoor Air Quality Act (室內空氣品質管理法) are to be expanded to include private and public libraries; large museums; hospitals and nursing homes for the elderly; central government offices; rail, aviation and metropolitan transit hubs; headquarters of financial services companies and banks; large opera houses; large exhibition halls such as the Taipei World Trade Center; department stores; karaoke bars; and gyms.
The agency said the new regulations would apply to the lobby area of karaoke bars, but not their seating areas, while movie theaters and gyms must comply with air-quality standards for their lobby, film-viewing and exercise areas.
The regulations are to limit carbon dioxide and formaldehyde levels in the air of the restricted areas, but bacteria are to be regulated only in medical facilities and social welfare institutions, not in governmental facilities or commercial venues, because members of the public visiting those locations might affect the readings, the agency said.
In response to concerns expressed by an expert attending the conference about the exclusion of karaoke seating areas from the regulations, the agency said the areas have limited space that might not accommodate air quality test equipment during inspections without disrupting the company’s business.
Since karaoke bars use centralized air conditioning, inspectors could effectively gauge air quality in the areas by taking samples in the lobby on the same floor, it added.
A hospital representative suggested that the size of hospitals and nursing homes should be determined by the number of beds, not the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s classification, adding that hospitals with more than 499 beds should be included in the regulations because they receive a substantial number of patients and visitors.
The agency said that the rules are still being drafted and might be altered to reflect input from the public and that the administration is expanding the regulations to apply to more venues.
Violators of the Indoor Air Quality Act can be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000, the agency said.
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