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By Esme Yeh /
Staff reporter
Air pollution inspections would be conducted at schools near 22 industrial areas nationwide by the end of this year to ensure students’ right to clean air, the Ministry of Environment said on Thursday.
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said that a four-tiered safety net has been established in response to concerns about air quality in campuses.
First, 22 industrial areas with nearby schools, air pollutant emissions and reports of complaints were selected for inspection, he said, adding that
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The areas’ potential impact on the air quality at nearby schools would be checked, Peng added.
Second, more air quality maintenance zones — areas where the entry of heavily polluting vehicles are restricted — would be set up around schools, in collaboration with local authorities, Peng said.
Of the 93 zones nationwide, 38 cover schools, he added.
Third, the air pollution reporting mechanism for schools would be enhanced, with complaints from schools highlighted for follow-ups, Peng said.
Fourth, on-campus air quality management would be bolstered via measures such as setting up picture cards to clearly provide information, he said.
Illicit gains related to illegal emissions amounted to about NT$6 billion (US$198.4 million) last year, which was a record high for the past few decades, Peng said, adding that the ministry would continue to promote cross-department cooperation to improve air quality at schools.
Department of Atmospheric Environment Director Huang Wei-ming (黃偉鳴) said that most air pollution complaints nationwide from 2022 to last year were about odors, accounting for up to 88 percent of all complaints.
Some organic compounds such as thiols have low odor thresholds and could be smelled even when they are within standard levels in the air, he said.
The ministry chose to focus on people’s perspectives in its efforts to enhance the air quality at campuses, and based air pollution inspection procedures on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Next Generation Emission Measurement, Huang said.
Monitoring devices would be set up at schools to report pollution, and inspectors would enter industrial areas to identify pollution sources, he said.
Once sources are identified, authorities would ask units to make improvements and set up pollutant monitors around the sources to ensure continued improvement, he added.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yue-chin (林月琴) cited the WHO as saying that air pollution harms children more than adults, as they breathe more rapidly and are lighter.
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are even more vulnerable, as many of them live and go to school in areas that have more air pollution, she said, urging the ministry to ensure children’s environmental rights in accordance with the Implementation Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (兒童權利公約施行法).