A joint study conducted by university researchers in Kaohsiung showed that pollutants generated by businesses in night markets not only affect the indoor air quality of nearby households, but also damage children’s lungs.
The study was conducted by a nine-person research team led by National Sun Yat-sen University Institute of Environmental Engineering professors Lin Yuang-chung (林淵淙) and Chen Pei-shih (陳培詩). Chen is also a Kaohsiung Medical University Department of Public Health professor.
The research was the first in Asia to explore the causal relationship between night market activities and children’s health. Its results were published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology in March.
Photo: Ge You-hao, Taipei Times
Night markets are cultural venues that are unique to Taiwan and other Asian countries, but there had not been a study that examined how suspended particulate matter and gaseous pollutants created through night market activities affected the health of people who live near them, Lin said.
The research team used real-time monitoring equipment to measure concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), airborne bacteria and fungi in 58 households near a night market. It also assessed the lung function values of children living in these households.
The team found that PM1 and PM2.5 concentrations were significantly higher during opening days of the night market than when it is closed. The lung function values of children within 595m from the market, or the “near” group, were also significantly lower than those who lived 595m farther from the market (the “far” group).
There were also higher levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, TVOC and PM10 in the “near” group households, the study showed.
The most crucial finding is that, even after excluding variables such as incense burning, smoking and cooking, children living near the night market showed lower vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second than those residing farther away.
The study showed that air pollutants released through night market activities enter nearby houses and could have negative effects on the development of children’s respiratory system, the researchers said.
Long-term exposure to high-density particulate matter and gaseous pollutants could increase the risks of children contracting respiratory diseases and hinder the healthy growth of their lungs, the team said.
The research team advised people living near night markets to adopt measures to reduce health risks, including reducing the frequency of opening their windows when night markets are open and using air purifiers equipped with a filtration system.
Children should also avoid extended periods of outdoor activity when night markets are open, it added.
“Maintaining proper distance between night markets and residential areas should be taken into consideration in future urban renewal projects,” the researchers said.
“Vendors in night markets should also be required to use air-purifying equipment and low-pollution cooking methods, while residents living near them should be educated about protecting themselves from air pollution-related health risks,” they said.
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