What is air pollution? How is air quality measured and defined?
Have you ever really understood what air pollution and air quality are and how are they defined? In this article, we will focus on what air pollution is and how air quality is measured and defined. I hope that through this article, everyone can better understand air pollution and face up to its problems.
“Everyone should be aware of what is around them. Air pollution is one of the problems that people cannot escape in modern society. Through better understanding, people can take a closer look at the problem and understand its harm.”
Air pollution refers to chemical, physical or biological pollution (including pollution from indoor and outdoor environments) that alters the natural characteristics of the atmosphere, where such pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases suspended in the air. Simply put, air pollution is the pollution of the atmosphere caused by some substances that endanger human health and the surrounding environment.
Air Pollution Detection
Taiwan currently has different analytical instruments for different measurement items for different substances in the air. Among them, mainly for carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), suspended particulates (PM10) and other substances.
The air detection center mainly uses infrared method, ultraviolet light absorption method, chemiluminescence method, ultraviolet fluorescence method, beta ray method and mass inertia method for measurement. The monitoring principle used in it will be introduced in another article, so I won't introduce it here. Through these measurement methods, the side results of the substances written above can be obtained to measure the air quality. The Taiwan government has also set up an website for this purpose, for public inquiries.
References：
施宇芳. “【投書】給「空氣污染防制法」的10個修法建議.” 獨立評論, 19 Aug. 2017, opinion.cw.com.tw/blog/profile/52/article/6008.
World Health Organization. “Air Pollution.” Who.int, World Health Organization: WHO, 2022, www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1.
行政院環境保護署. “行政院環境保護署 - 空氣品質監測網.” Airtw.epa.gov.tw, airtw.epa.gov.tw/cht/Information/Standard/Theory.aspx#:~:text=%E7%95%B6%E7%A9%BA%E6%B0%A3%E6%A8%A3%E5%93%81%E9%96%8B%E5%A7%8B%E5%88%86%E6%9E%90. Accessed 8 Aug. 2022.
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