An air quality monitoring station has been set up in Taichung to determine the composition of air pollutants in the city, researchers said on Sunday.
The Surface Air Pollution Research Station, which was established by Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes and the Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau at a cost of NT$100 million (US$3.62 million), would collect and analyze air samples over the next four years, said Charles Chou (周崇光), CEO of the center’s Air Quality Research Center.
In a project led by Academia Sinica researchers, the station would take precise measurements of more than 100 types of fine particulates smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and ozone precursors, which would help the city devise policies to combat sources of air pollution, he said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Average concentrations of PM2.5 in the city have decreased annually over the past several years, but people have grown more aware of the dangers of air pollution, the effects of which are more obvious during the fall and winter months, he said, adding that air pollution still affects visibility in central and southern Taiwan during the winter.
“The complex physical and chemical properties of air pollution mean it is necessary to perform precise analysis on samples to come up with effective policies to combat it,” he said.
Taichung’s geographical location, which faces winds from the land and sea, the urban heat island effect, and valley and monsoon winds, adds to the complexity of understanding air pollution in the city, he said.
The station, which is the first of its kind in Taiwan, was set up on the roof of Taichung’s Second Municipal Government Building.
The project would involve research into the physical and chemical processes of air pollution in central Taiwan, including sources of emission, and how pollutants are transmitted and transformed, center director Chen Yue-gau (陳于高) said.
Researchers would use satellite and surface telemetry technology, optical radars, Internet of Things devices and artificial intelligence, he said.
The team would also use flue samples to analyze the composition of volatile organic compounds, he said.
The annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Taichung dropped to 15.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020, which is near the national standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter, Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chen Hung-yi (陳宏益) said.
“However, the closer we get to that standard, the more difficult it becomes to further lower the PM2.5 level. Last year the level even rose in some parts of the country,” he said.
Ozone pollution is also a growing problem for several counties and municipalities nationwide, he said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the