Air Quality Objectives (AQO) has not been modified until 2014, 26 years since the Environmental Protection Department was found. The new AQO is still set far below the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines (WHO AQGs), as shown in the table below:
According to the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, government has to review AQO every 5 years. At the moment we think the AQO is still too loose for public health, in which the low standard raises mortality rate up to 2.5-15%.
Clean Air Network therefore has several suggestions regarding the current AQO:
- Amend Section 7A of the Air Pollution Control Ordinance by adding on “protecting the public health as priority”;
- Tighten the AQO to the WHO standard, especially the AQO of SO2, which is currently 5 times higher than the WHO AQGs;
- Review AQO and its related policy regularly;
- Follow the suit of US Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, by establishing Advisory Committees in civil society, academic and industry fields for air quality control