A thick layer of smog blanketed Taipei yesterday as the capital suffered its worst air quality since the beginning of the year, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said.
EPA experts attributed the poor air quality in the greater Taipei area mainly to rising temperatures, Taipei's topography and high ozone concentrations.
Chang Shun-chin (張順欽), an EPA inspector in charge of air quality protection, said air quality worsened at around noon yesterday when the temperature climbed to 26oC and culminated at around 2pm. Taipei is situated in a basin where dirty air accumulates and lingers unless there are strong winds, Chang said.
When the temperature rose, the ozone density in the area increased to an "unhealthy" level and the average hourly density of particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air over the greater Taipei area also shot up, Chang said.
Chang said that PM readings in Taipei City's Zhongshan (
Air quality in the greater Taipei area will remain poor when the temperature drops because the wind will subside too, Chang said.
High PM density and high ozone concentrations can cause respiratory distress in humans. Chang advised the elderly, young children and people with allergies or respiratory problems to refrain from going outside or to wear masks if they do.
The haze is expected to clear by tomorrow, Chang said.
Northern and western Taiwan usually experience worsening air quality between January and March each year when pollutants originating from China are brought in by cold fronts.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit
HOSPITAL VISITS: Shin Kong Mitsukoshi pledged to give the families of the four people who died NT$11m each and provide support for staff working at the time The central government would assist local governments to enhance public safety, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday as he visited people in hospital who were injured in an explosion at a department store in Taichung on Thursday. A suspected gas explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang department store in Taichung at 11:33am on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 36. Of the 40 casualties, 39 were hospitalized, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed. Three died after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the data showed. As of 6am yesterday, 25 of those injured had been discharged from hospital, leaving 11
RSS