Environmental regulations on the country’s emissions of air pollutants will be stricter in light of deteriorating air quality, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Monday.

Starting next year, supervision of factories planning for expansions will be tighter, including demands for data on possible increases in particles 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter (PM2.5), according to the EPA.

PM2.5 particles are considered particularly dangerous because they are usually made up of substances like heavy metals that are more toxic and can travel deeper into the human lungs than larger particulates.

In addition, the new regulations will examine emissions at maximum levels instead of average levels to guard public health more thoroughly, the EPA said.

Different PM2.5 control regions will also be set up, based on data collected by the administration over the past three years, said Huang Wei-ming (黃偉鳴), section chief of the EPA’s Department of Air Quality Protection.

The western half of Taiwan proper, prone to air pollution from China as cold air masses from there often carry pollutants across the Taiwan Strait, is likely to be the top control area in a three-tier system, he said.

There will also be a clearer understanding of how different areas are under threat from different pollutants, the EPA said.

via EPA tightening rules on air pollution | Society | FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS.