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.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with