Levels of PM2.5 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung have fallen over the past four years, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday, as it considers setting up an air pollution management task force to address pollution in southern Taiwan.
The risk of developing lung adenocarcinoma was 15 times higher in the area than in northern Taiwan, potentially because of high emissions of PM2.5, or fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller, according to a joint study conducted by multiple universities, the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) and the Taiwan Society of Cancer Registry.
Greater regional air pollution could be caused by the concentration of heavy industry in the area, the EPA said.
The government in 2015 implemented measures to reduce PM2.5 emissions, such as controlling emissions from fixed and mobile sources, promoting relevant policies in state-owned businesses, cutting down on diesel-powered vehicle emissions, promoting the collective burning of joss paper and reducing the number of events at which joss paper is burned, it said.
Overall air pollution has dropped from 198,403 tonnes in 2015 to 182,448 tonnes last year, the agency said.
General PM2.5 density in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung region dropped by 20.4 percent over the period, or from 23.5 micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3) in 2015 to 18.7mcg/m3 last year, it said.
The measures are expected to decrease air pollution emissions by 17,933 tonnes over the next four years, including 652 tonnes of particulate matter, 7,419 tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 8,666 tonnes of nitrogen oxide and 1,196 tonnes of volatile organic compounds, it added.
The EPA said that overall air quality has improved in the south, although it is continuing to hold talks with residents and to develop more efficient uses for the Air Pollution Control Fund.
While people are taking more actions to mitigate the effects of air pollution, such as wearing face masks, PM2.5 exposure in indoor environments or while traveling could also affect public health, NHRI associate researcher Chen Yu-cheng (陳裕政) said.
A two-year survey monitoring PM2.5 density in different environments showed that temples have the highest density among indoor environments at 62.5mcg/m3, Chen said.
Restaurants were second at 33.9mcg/m3, followed by offices, classrooms and barbershops with 18mcg/m3 each, Chen added.
The PM2.5 levels at temples that restrict incense burning were about the same as the atmospheric concentration levels, while those without such restrictions increased by 36.1mcg/m3 per hour, Chen said.
Korean barbecue restaurants had the highest PM2.5 density at 87mcg/m3, followed by teppanyaki restaurants (84mcg/m3) and steak restaurants (83mcg/m3), Chen said.
Direct exposure to a heat source exposes diners to higher PM2.5 concentration levels, Chen said, adding that people at Korean restaurants are exposed to 4.8 times more PM2.5 compared with those eating at Japanese restaurants.
People should choose restaurants with separated kitchen areas and well-ventilated dining areas, Chen said.
Night markets have the highest PM2.5 density for outdoor environments at 59.9mcg/m3, while traditional markets were second at 41.4mcg/m3, the survey showed.
Among travelers, scooter drivers are exposed to the highest PM2.5 density at 40.2mcg/m3, followed by train passengers at 32.4mcg/m3 and bus riders at 31.3mcg/m3, while cars have the lowest level at 16.5mcg/m3, the survey showed.
Additional reporting by CNA
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai