In 1999 the U.S. EPA switched from the PSI to the AQI, which incorporates measurements of PM2.5 and ozone, and in December 2016 Taiwan followed suit. Control of PM2.5 is a very complicated matter, because both primary and secondary emissions are involved.

Once connected, air pollution levels are reported instantaneously and in real-time on our maps But elsewhere along Taiwan’s western plain – as far north as Taoyuan and even parts of New Taipei City – the level of pollution is often a serious problem, falling into the red zone or worse. In case you didn’t know, air pollution in Taichung is seriously bad! Serious stuff! I would suggest that you ask your hotel reception where to find a Watson or Cosmed nearby. Read the article in the Taipei Times here. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one example, and is a known health hazard and component of acid rain. One of them mentioned feeling like she had “something” in her throat and that breathing was painful.

The air pollution in Taichung City, in Central Taiwan, is a serious problem that is only growing worse and worse year after year. NO2 and SO2 levels are now within Taiwan’s EPA-established ambient Air Quality Standards, says Tsai Hung-teh. They were looking around in disbelief, asking if this was normal, saying this was really shocking, and that they had never seen such dirty air. But the situation appears due almost as much to the polluted air sweeping across the Taiwan Strait, carried on prevailing winter winds blowing in from China, as it is to locally produced emissions.

Red depicts AQI values of 151-200, unhealthy for everyone, especially for sensitive populations, while purple represents the range of 201-300, calling for a health alert. Taiwan follows the U.S. EPA’s in scale, with the same color-coded, easily followed guide to local air quality conditions. I don’t know the exact details, I am NOT trained in any way to evaluate or review any of those platforms which publish levels of pollution, but all I know is that they are not in line with the measurements I get when I use my own smart air quality monitor device – the Laser Egg. The WHO has established guidelines for major air pollutants, and recommends annual mean PM2.5 levels of no more than 10 mcg/m3, or a 24-hour mean of 25 mcg/m3. Taiwan has also made big changes in the way it measures air pollution. It uses a scale of 0-500 – the higher the number, the higher the pollution level and the greater the risk to human health. In fact, argues Tsai, “the air quality is actually getting better in Taiwan.” He says that Taiwan has significantly reduced many of the most prevalent and dangerous pollutants, including suspended particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOC), and sulfuric oxides (SOX). The administration’s goals are ambitious, and include halving the number of unhealthy air quality days by 2019. Many factories and power plants have added more effective pollution-control mechanisms as well. The improvement is attributed to a variety of factors, including the government’s decision to reduce the output of its coal-fired power plants during the low-demand winter months and instead to rely heavily on cleaner-burning natural gas. Overall implementation will be in the hands of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, the Public Construction Commission, and local governments. Read the article in the Taipei Times here. “The AQI is more connected to human health,” explains the EPA’s Tsai. Taipower to cut central and southern emissions At 五金行, you’ll be able to find N95 mask in the paint section. Although heavy oil is used in only a small amount of industrial capacity, those plants contribute significantly to pollution levels, according to Tsuang.

City-specific air quality data is not available at this time. NO2 and VOCs react and combine in the presence of ultraviolent light to form ground level ozone (O3), one of the major constituents of photochemical smog. Taiwan General Health Risks: Air Pollution [risk] In accordance with the World Health Organization's guidelines, the air quality in Taiwan is considered moderately unsafe - the most recent data indicates the country's annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 18 µg/m3, exceeding the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3. That’s right, not Taiwan’s biggest, not Asia’s biggest – THE WORLD’S BIGGEST!!! The utility proposed cutting pollution levels at its Taichung and Sinda plants, while an academic said coastline residents show an elevated cancer rate. As we walked around People’s Park (the Green Belt) in downtown Taichung, it was obvious they were upset by the color of the sky, the yellowish 3D appearance of the air, and the smell of whatever was in there. The government has also created incentives for industry to replace oil-burning industrial boilers with natural-gas-powered boilers. PM2.5 declined 17 percent between 2013 and 2016, according to the EPA.

The winds influence greatly how air pollution moves around Taiwan, especially along the west coast, and sometimes it can be clear in Taipei, but horrible in Taichung, or vice-versa. Taiwan's air pollution has already launched protests, but tackling its sources will involve some very tough choices. “In some areas, the ozone levels don’t meet our ambient air quality standards, as well as PM2.5. The EPA and MOEA are also collaborating on reducing emissions from power plants and replacing 6,000 oil-fired industrial boilers with natural-gas-fired equipment.

Yet these points do not hold much weight with environmentalist activists from Taichung and Kaohsiung, who allude to past industrial policies that spurred first Kaohsiung and then Taichung to develop as manufacturing centers while Taipei served as a corporate, commercial, and political hub with much less polluting industry.

PSI measured the five main pollutants, including NO2, SO2, and VOCs, but didn’t track PM2.5 or ground-based ozone. These are our main areas of concern,” says the EPA’s Tsai. That is less than trucks, which account for 11.2-16.8 percent, and less even than the food industry, which is responsible for 10.8-12.2 percent of total PM2.5.
Another such component are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), consisting mostly of methane, plus suspected carcinogens benzene, toluene, and xylene. Tsai considers a key factor in this rising awareness to be the Chinese documentary Under the Dome, released in 2015 but quickly banned by the Chinese Communist Party for its overt criticism of China’s government and state-run enterprises for failing to control air pollution. You will want to get an N95 mask. “Combating air pollution is our first priority,” he said in an interview.


These stores are all over the place.

“When the weather gets cold, the issue of air pollution heats up,” says Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德), director general of the Environmental Protection Administration’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control. I would suggest you purchase one before you come to Taiwan as they are surprisingly not easy to find around here. The piece was first published by Taiwan Business TOPICS. Even the natural-gas-fired Tung Hsiao power plant switched from simple cycle to combined-cycle natural gas in which heat generated in the initial combustion of gas is recycled through a steam turbine, greatly expanding output without generating more pollutants. Particulate matter (PM) consists of tiny particles of solids or liquids suspended in atmospheric gases, measured on a scale of either 10 micrograms in diameter (PM10) or 2.5 micrograms in diameter (PM2.5).

What Will It Take to Improve Taiwan's Air? The project will require a massive budget generated through the commodity tax, which will require the cooperation of the Ministry of Finance. The GAIA air quality monitoring stations are using high-tech laser particle sensors to measure in real-time PM2.5 pollution, which is one of the most harmful air pollutants. With external sources accounting on average for some 34 percent annually of Taiwan’s air pollution, and as much as 41.7 percent during the winter, according to the EPA, Taiwan’s scope for action to combat it is somewhat curtailed. Most people’s ideal vacation does not include walking in thick clouds of dangerous yellow smog. Meanwhile, central and southern Taiwan remained mostly yellow and orange throughout the day until the afternoon, when Chiayi and Changhua surged into the red. Green represents an AQI value of 0 to 50, which is “Good,” while yellow represents a value of 51-100, considered within an acceptable range, although vulnerable populations – including the very young, very old, and those with health conditions – might experience some effects. Read the air pollution in Taipei, Taiwan with AirVisual. The News Lens has been authorized to repost this article.