Fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and PM10 could cause infant deformities and lung cancer, environmental group Air Clean Taiwan said on Thursday, reiterating a call to tighten air pollution monitoring standards.
There are no safe levels for PM2.5, as many studies have suggested that the particles might penetrate the placenta, organs and cells, and damage human health, Air Clean Taiwan chairman Yeh Guang-perng (葉光芃) said.
However, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), in its draft amendments to air quality standards, released in May last year, did not adjust its monitoring standards for PM2.5, Yeh said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The agency’s maximum acceptable concentration level for PM2.5 is 15 micrograms per cubic meter per year and 35 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period, he said.
Canada’s annual average PM2.5 level is 6.1 micrograms per cubic meter, and it has linked more than 14,600 premature deaths each year to air pollution, Yeh said, asking how Taiwan’s relatively loose standards would not have a greater impact.
The EPA should tighten PM2.5 monitoring to 10 micrograms per cubic meter per year to match the WHO’s standards, or the US’ 12 micrograms per cubic meter, which might prevent an estimated 3,568 premature deaths, he said.
Exposure to PM10 might cause fetus deformities, autism, kidney dysfunction or stroke, New Taipei City Clinics with Health Insurance Association chairman Wang Huo-chin (王火金) said.
PM10 exposure could also increase a person’s risk of lung cancer or dementia, Taipei Medical University Hospital physician Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽) said.
EPA Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Deputy Director-General Hsu Su-chih (徐淑芷) said the agency would publish a final draft of the amendments to air quality standards by the end of this year, as it is required by the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) to review the standards every four years.
The EPA is tasked with protecting people’s health, but it is cautious in adjusting the standards, as any changes might affect many parties, Hsu added.
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