Air pollution levels in Taiwan - grim reading

I heard it was bad this year! Got an air purifier in the house?

Worse in 20 years. Of course they ar eblaming El Nino and not the fuckheads who light fires to peat bogs.

Yeah, I sealed up most of the windows, and we have a powerful Japanese made hitachi filter that captures pm2.5.

We won’t be staying more than another year or 2 at the most. Not much point living in the tropics, and having a garden if you can’t go outside. Oh and even if we do go out we have typhoid to worry about and dengue. :fume:

Canada is looking better and better especially after the election.

Couldn’t agree more.
Recently, just for a laugh, I emailed Taichung City Guvmint about the worsening air pollution problem here. To my surprise, I received a response.
Apparently, I am deluded and there is no such problem. I can’t remember everything said in their email, as I deleted it in anger straight after I read it. I do, however, remember these bits: " We have been working hard to improve air quality in Taichung…blah blah blah…as a result, PM2.5 readings throughout the city have decreased from a daily average of (30 something) to (20 something). We expect this improvement to continue, as we plan to…blah blah blah, etc.
Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.

I’ve been waiting 16 years for air quality in Taichung City to improve. It hasn’t and, sadly, probably never will with one group of dickheads after another apparently “working hard” and “making continued improvements”. I know of many individuals and families who have left Taiwan for good because of the air pollution here in Taichung. In a few more years, my wife and I will most likely do the same.

Then again, maybe I am deluded because, as we all know, " air pollution in Taiwan isn’t as bad as it is in China".

Actually I would be very surprised if the air quality hasn’t improved quite a bit in the last decade or two. The problem is that it is still unacceptable.

For people who don’t think it’s much of a problem (not talking about you Abacus), here’s a cannonball of pollution coming right at you from Xitun District, Taichung City, Jan 22nd 2013. :popcorn:

Watch and enjoy. :roflmao:

s1284.photobucket.com/user/headh … u.mp4.html

Yes - air quality in most places in Taiwan no doubt has improved…however, in parts of Taichung City (Dali and southern parts of the city proper), Miaoli County, Yunlin County, and especially Puli in Nantou County, the situation has worsened in the past few years - to the extent that locals in many of these areas have been protesting and trying to block further development (i.e. coal-burning power plants and petrochemical plants courtesy of Formosa Plastics Group and other well-known polluters). I wish them the best of luck.

Taichung: PM 2.5 readings in Dali and Zhongming S. Rd. (I live in this area, so I check) now over 170…again. Once again, I can barely see the lights from buildings 3 blocks away through the haze, which stinks like hell and stings your eyes. This has been happening with increasing frequency over the past 6 months or so.

Yes, a real improvement here.

No improvement at all for central Taiwan. The north and south have made big improvements for this as that is a cornerstone for quality of life in the big cities. But in Taichung it’s a whole other game the government is playing. Pm 2.5 reading at 179 in Taichung city at 6am now. The highest in all of Taiwan and surrounding region. I wonder how it got worse overnight?

Today, the sky’s gone out.

This is just sad.

It’s also one of the monthly ghost money burning days. You would think that they’d come to their senses and not burn on days like these, but no way. Gotta burn stuff and make it worse.

I have a brutal headache. Am I the only one who thinks Taipei’s air quality sucks today?

I miss clean air!

Guy

[quote=“afterspivak”]I have a brutal headache. Am I the only one who thinks Taipei’s air quality sucks today?

I miss clean air!

Guy[/quote]

yes it sucks. but maybe you have hay fever associated with change in the seasons. i started getting that when i moved here.

It could be connected with the humidity, but Taipei certainly has bad air quality too quite often.

Heavy pollution from China headed our way. PM 2.5 particles expected to exceed devree 5 up to 7, resulting in severe disconfort.

Gummit advises to wear masks, avoid exercise outdoors, stay indoors with windows closed and wash face after venturing outside. Yes, seriously, will show pic of ad after getting to a computer. sigh

Itchy eyes here in Shanghai while sitting in the taxi, it must be bad out there.

That sounds nasty. Won’t somebody do something?

Free eye drops for all. With Chinese characteristics.

Taiwan EPA has changed its policy on 1st October and now uses daily PM2.5 index to define recommendations for outdoor activities. >> taqm.epa.gov.tw/taqm/en/

本署自10月1日起實施「細懸浮微粒(PM2.5)指標」,提供民眾日常生活上之行動建議,在即將到來的秋、冬季節前,與現有空氣污染指標(PSI)併行,提升對民眾的健康保障。

(google) Department operation since October 1 “fine suspended particles (PM2.5) indicator” to provide recommendations for action on the daily life of the people, in the upcoming autumn and winter before the holiday, with the existing air pollution index (PSI) in parallel, promotion of public health protection.

I even noticed this index was visible on the TV news, at the bottom right of the screen.

  • Be aware they still use the outdated, slow and inaccurate PSI as main pollution index.
    One trick to lower the numbers and not scare people

** Keep in mind also they are using the DAILY PM2.5 index, not to confuse with the Real Time AQICN used by aqicn.org/city/beijing/
One more trick to lower the numbers and not scare people… since night time is always cooler and cleaner.

env.g0v.tw/air/

g0v’s PM2.5 monitoring site

so is aqicn the only reliable real time source? Cos the governments numbers are different