7 districts of Taichung, Taiwan exposed to high concentrations of 8 carcinogens in air
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/18
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
A smoggy Taichung skyline. (Image from flickr user Justin Chong)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A study of air pollution in Taichung City has found that seven districts contain unacceptable levels of PM2.5 and eight first-level airborne carcinogens, reported SETN.
On Saturday, a public hearing on the results of the first and second phases of a survey on air pollution was held by the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau at Chung Shan Medical University. Liaw Yung- po (廖勇柏), a professor at the university, said that although the city of Taichung did not exceed standards for PM2.5 and carcinogens, there are seven districts which were found to have concentrations of eight carcinogens so high, that just inhaling the air would put residents at a higher risk.
The issue of air pollution in Taichung has attracted much attention in recent years. In addition to the dismantling of intermediate load power plants, citizens have been curious about how Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) would improve the air quality in the city.
However, the results of the latest survey have caused panic among residents of the seven Taichung districts. The study focuses on the exposure to air pollution by residents around the Taichung Power Plant, Dragon Steel Co., Ltd., and Central Taiwan Science Park. [FULL STORY]
