Warning information on severe deterioration of air quality

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Warning information on severe deterioration of air quality

To establish an early warning mechanism for air quality deterioration, Ministry of Environment (MOENV) issued the “Emergency Prevention Measures for Serious Air Quality Deterioration” in 1993. (Hereinafter referred to as Emergency Control Regulations), which was revised twice in 2000 and 2017. In response to the practical needs of responding poor air quality in recent years, and according to the authorization of Article 14 of Air Pollution Control Law, “Competent authorities at all levels and public and private premises shall promptly adopt emergency control measures when variations in meteorological conditions or other reasons cause there to be a concern of a serious deterioration in air quality. When necessary, competent authorities at all levels shall issue air quality deterioration alerts and shall prohibit or restrict the use of transportation vehicles, the emissions of air pollutants by public and private premises, and activities at government agencies and schools,” Emergency Control Regulations was renamed to “Emergency Preventing Regulations for the Alert Announcement of Serious Deterioration of Air Quality” and revised in March 2022. EPA takes the implementation of Emergency Control Regulations to strengthen air pollution reduction in autumn and winter, cooperates with the central and local governments in response to variable energy, adopts the principle of early warning when predicting poor air quality occurs, informs the pollution sources for the emission reduction, and notifies the upwind and local power plants of activating pollution reduction measures in advance. Different levels of contingency measures and civil health protection measures are implemented according to the severe degree of air quality deterioration monitored by the monitoring station. In response to the severity of the pollutant concentration, the control range and restriction intensity are expanded, and practical measures, including public and private premises, the use of vehicles, and school activities should be activated.

Warning level of air quality deterioration

The warning levels of air quality deterioration are divided into two categories and five levels including “early warning (levels are subdivided into primary and middle)” and “severe deterioration (levels are subdivided into mild, moderate, or severe)”, and the levels of each category are determined according to the concentration conditions of particulate matter, fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone air pollutants.

Air quality warnings at all levels and severe deterioration of air pollutant concentration conditions

Project		Early warning		Severe deterioration			unit
Project		Primary level	Middle level	Mild level	Moderate level	Severe level	unit
particulate matter(PM₁₀) diamete less or equal to tenmicrometer (μm)	Hourly average	-	-	-	1050 two Hour consecutive	1250 three hour consecutive	μg／m³ (Microgram/ cubic meter)
	24hr average	101	255	355	425	505	μg／m³ (Microgram/ cubic meter)
Fine particulate matter(PM_2.5)diameter less or equal to _2.5 micrometer (μm)	24hr average	35.5	54.5	150.5	250.5	350.5	μg／m³ (Microgram/ cubic meter)
Sulfur Dioxide(SO₂)	Hourly average	76	186	-	-	-	ppb (Volume concentration in parts per billion)
Sulfur Dioxide(SO₂)	24hr average	-	-	305	605	805	ppb (Volume concentration in parts per billion)
Nitrogen Dioxide(NO₂)	24hr average	101	361	650	1250	1650	ppb (Volume concentration in parts per billion)
Carbon Monoxide(CO)	8hr average	9.5	12.5	15.5	30.5	40.5	ppm (Volume concentration part per million)
Ozone(O₃)	Hourly average	0.125	0.165	0.205	0.405	0.505	ppm (Volume concentration part per million)

Remark
The 24-hour average of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and SO₂ is a moving average.
The 8-hour average of CO is a moving average for the last eight consecutive hours.
The hourly average of PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, and SO₂ are the instantaneous concentration values

Deterioration of regional air quality cnotrol measure

In accordance with the emergency response measures, special municipality, county and city competent authorities shall announce the control measures for the deterioration of air quality in the region (hereinafter referred to as the regional control measures) based on the meteorological features and the characteristics of stationary and mobile pollution source in the jurisdiction. The regional control measures in Article 6 of Emergency Control Regulations for the Serious Deterioration of Air Quality shall specify the following items:

1. The area of air quality warning or severe deterioration.
2. The establishment of the air pollution control command center and the air pollution control action team.
3. The name of designated public and private premises and the name of the medical institution which is responsible for emergency relief.
4. Contact information of other government agencies, news media, public, and designated public and private premises, and medical institutions which is responsible for emergency relief after the warning of severe deterioration of air quality is issued.
5. Control measures after the air quality warning or severe deterioration is issued.
6. Prevention plan for public and private places
7. Health protection guidance measures and precautions for activities of the public, institutions, and schools.

The establishment requirements of the command center in paragraph 2 of the preceding paragraph are as follows:

1. Municipal, county (city) competent authority:
1. (1) After the air quality forecast shows that the air quality in the jurisdiction may deteriorate to the primary-level warning on the next day and the middle-level warning or higher level in the next following day; Or when more than half of the air quality monitoring stations in the jurisdiction shows that the primary-level warning and the forecast reach the middle-level warning or higher level on the next day, the regional command center may be established.
2. (2) After the air quality forecast shows that the air quality in the jurisdiction may deteriorate to the middle-level warning or higher level in the next two days; Or when more than half of the air quality monitoring stations in the jurisdiction reach the middle-level warning or any air quality monitoring station in the jurisdiction shows that the mild-level severe deterioration or higher level, the regional command center shall be established.
2. Central authority:
Except for Lienchiang County, Kinmen County, and Penghu County, when nine and above of the regional command center have established at the same time, the central competent authority shall set up the central air pollution control command center to coordinate control of cross-regional pollution source.