Toxic air pollution caused by the nation’s sixth naphtha cracker complex in Mailiao Township (麥寮), Yunlin County, has not just affected that county, but has spread south to Chiayi and Tainan counties at an even higher density, an academic said.
Yen You-li (顏有利), an associate professor at Miaoli County National United University’s Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, made the remarks on Thursday at a workshop assessing an overall industrial examination of Formosa Plastics Group’s (FPG) petrochemical complex.
Ozone from volatile organic compounds discharged from factories in the FPG petrochemical complex have been carried south, Yen said.
Citing the results of a quantitative study conducted between 1994 and last year, Yen said the ozone density monitored in Chiayi’s Singang Township (新港) has been as high as 221 parts per billion (ppb), much higher than the allowed level of 120ppb.
The ozone density monitored in Tainan City and County was also higher than that found in Yunlin County and its neighboring Changhua County, Yen said, adding that ozone can cause coughing and allergies.
Meanwhile, the density of sulfur dioxide in the air at Yunlin County’s Taisi Township (台西) was found to be exceptionally high and complaints lodged by local residents had also increased noticeably since the petrochemical complex was built, Yen said.
FPG said it would not comment on the discussions until the two-day workshop ended.
The Chiayi County Government said it was paying close attention to the workshop and results of the findings. If finances permit, the county government will launch a health risk assessment drive in the county, it said.
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