Levels of fine particulate matter in some nightclubs can be worse than air quality levels outdoors, a non-governmental health organization said yesterday.
John Tung Foundation chief executive officer Yao Shi-yuan (姚思遠) said a study conducted by the foundation and academics last month showed that levels of PM2.5 — an indicator of airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less — at three pubs and nightclubs that allow smoking indoors were much higher than “unhealthy” outdoor levels, with one establishment reaching 12 times the unhealthy level.
Forty-four nations have banned smoking indoors to protect employees from long-term exposure to secondhand smoke at work, Yao said, adding that Taiwan should follow suit.
Taipei Medical University
researcher Kao Chi-wen (高志文), who conducted the survey with the foundation and the Consumers’ Foundation, said that PM2.5 levels exceeding 71 micrograms per cubic meter of air (mg/m3) are considered “very high” and unhealthy for the human body, but levels measured at nightclubs were typically from 697.9mg/m3 to 703.2mg/m3, with the highest reading being 912mg/m3.
Kao said some of the substances in secondhand smoke are finer than PM2.5, which means they can be carried deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has recognized 81 cancer-causing substances in secondhand smoke, Kao said.
Consumers’ Foundation chairman Yu Kai-hsiung (游開雄) said that while the government has called for “the establishment of safe environments for consumers,” smoking at indoor public spaces is not safe.
With the smoking rate in Taiwan a mere 16 percent, Yu said that requiring pubs and nightclubs to ban indoor smoking is only asking the few people to step outside when they want to smoke, but would provide a healthier indoor environment for others.
The foundations urged the government to modify regulations to ban smoking in all indoor public spaces to better protect the public’s health.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS