On 6 February 2020, the EPA announced the Air Polluting Acts During the Specified Deteriorated Air Quality Advisory Period, which stipulates that during specified deteriorated air quality advisory periods, when particulate matter or fine particulate matter concentration reaches the criteria for Level 1 Alert for two consecutive days or longer, controls on seven potentially air-polluting activities will be intensified.

The EPA pointed out that air quality monitoring data over the years shows PM_2.5 as one of the major causes of poor air quality index (AQI) readings in Taiwan. Besides particulate pollutants, VOCs are also precursors and sources of PM_2.5. To take preventive actions ahead of issuing alerts for deteriorated air quality, several air-polluting acts are announced as subjects for control. These include using leaf blowers at roadsides and parks, mixing asphaltic concrete, scraping and paving roads, demolishing buildings, loading and unloading concrete materials in a non-closed manner at ports, open-air spray (or sand) painting at construction projects, and cleaning boilers and the petrochemical industry’s organic liquid storage tanks.

In Taiwan, from approximately 1 October to 31 March the following year, due to meteorological and geographic factors, air pollutants tend to accumulate in the atmosphere and deteriorate air quality. According to the control principles specified in the Regulations Governing Emergency Measures to Prevent Serious Worsening of Air Quality, to ameliorate conditions when air quality reaches critically poor levels, air pollution-reducing measures shall be implemented. Hence, suspension of the aforementioned air polluting activities during specified periods were announced.

Using Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network reports given daily at 10:30 AM, the EPA continually monitors the three-day outlook for air quality factors. If the forecast is determined to meet certain conditions, alerts will be issued on the Air Quality Improvement and Maintenance Information Website. City and county environmental bureaus are then asked to issue alerts on their official websites by the end of the same day, notifying those in their jurisdictions that engage in the seven air-polluting acts to suspend such acts during the control periods.

Those notified but failing to comply will be fined between NT$1,200 and NT$100,000. If the violator is at an industrial or commercial site, the fine may range from NT$100,000 to NT$5 million. If air quality improves and no longer meets the alert conditions, alerts will be withdrawn and notifications sent in the same way they are issued.

Excerpt from Environmental Policy Monthly, 23 (2)