BUREAUCRATIC PARADOX:The data collected by legally required monitoring systems are not accepted as proof, making it impossible to document violations
Taipei Times
Date: Dec 22, 2015
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
“Purple explosion” has become the latest buzzword this year in pollution-
Kaohsiung harbor is shrouded in haze on Nov. 9. Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
stricken central and southern Taiwan.
It refers to the most severe levels of fine particulate matter measuring 25 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM2.5), according to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) four-color categorization. Small enough to penetrate the deepest parts of lungs, PM2.5 increases the risk of respiratory disease and cardiovascular mortality.
The pollutant has sparked waves of heated protests targeting industrial polluters, particularly the Formosa Plastics Group’s naphtha cracker in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮), as it is assumed that coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and steel makers are major PM2.5 contributors.
The cracker complex has its own coal-fired power plants, which also produce 11 percent of the nation’s electricity. [FULL STORY]
