NCKU President Su gives talk on air quality at ECCT
Tainan, Taiwan, March 9, 2016
The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) hosted this year’s first event of Better Living on March 8, where National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) President Dr. Huey-Jen Jenny Su, a renowned environmental health expert, gave insights into air quality issues. “Open your windows whenever possible, make sure you have sufficient ventilation of the outdoor air and make use of less decorations and aromatic materials,” she said.
Dr. Su also highlighted the significance of better management of the indoor air quality (IAQ) and noted, “Many dollars can be saved and can be gained by simply treating the environment right.”
People spend most of their time inside buildings. IAQ is therefore an important determinant of their health and well-being, according to Timothy Berge, Co-Chair of ECCT’s Better Living Committee.
Freddie Hoglund, CEO of ECCT, said, there are many reasons related to the air quality in Taiwan, people often blame China for the bad air. “Where does the pollution come from?’ he asked.
Dr. Su provided some insights from research data and noted, “If we talk about in winter has much linkage to the China, but it is the summer time the level of the pm 2.5 has more to do the local sources.”
The government has sponsored the research of indoor air pollution and related health effects for more than 20 years. “The data to support and lead to the announcement or the indoor air quality management was very much base on the research information of my group and my collage for more than 15 years,” said Dr. Su.
The establishment of the IAQ Law in 2011 makes Taiwan the second country in the world only after the South Korea to announce such regulation, according to Dr. Su.
In her talk, Dr. Su also talked about the impact of climate change on indoor environments. “The increase outdoor ozone level will somehow link to the increase of indoor level as well, and somehow that would also trigger the production of some secondary pollutant.”
Climate change may worsen existing indoor environmental problems and introduce new problems. She said, “Increasing level of floods, typhoon or increase sea level on the coastline would be linked to either flooding or damages to the building; therefore, that will trigger the growth of indoor micros or other bacteria and therefore it will be then more likely to present the cases of microbiology-related diseases or health consequences.”
She mentioned typical IAQ issues around the world. “As you can see, many of them associate with fail to clean the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. I have seen them in Taipei regularly, even in some very costly building, because no one really bothers to look into how frequently and how in detail those HVAC systems are clean,” she said.
Also dealing with the insufficient ventilation, she added, “this is typical and I seen in government building, in private building as well. Without the proper or the adequate knowledge in handling the adequate ventilation, it will be another concern.”
“We have been advocating how to lessen and lower the level of indoor decoration that will be another primary strategy that people can easily adopt and manage their indoor environment,” she said.
At the end of her talk, Dr. Su provided a take-home message to her audience, “Just be very alert to what your outdoor environment is and what’s your indoor situation is.”
“In Taiwan, we would encourage people to open their window whenever possible, and make sure you have sufficient ventilation of the outdoor air and make use of less decoration and aromatic materials,” she noted.
Dr. Su has devoted most of her research efforts to the topic of air pollution and related health effects, with particular emphasis on the rising global concerns about airborne microbial hazards. She was an expert member of the committee that prepared the WHO report on Guidance for Biological Agents in the Indoor Environment.
In recent years, Dr. Su has extended her investigation into the health outcomes attributable to global environmental changes.
She has also served on the National Committee for Air Pollution Abatement as well as National Council for Sustainable Development where she advised and supervised national programs on assessing health risks associated with environmental exposure.
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The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) hosted this year’s first event of Better Living on March 8, where National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) President Dr. Huey-Jen Jenny Su, a renowned environmental health expert, gave insights into air quality issues. “Open your windows whenever possible, make sure you have sufficient ventilation of the outdoor air and make use of less decorations and aromatic materials,” she said.
Dr. Su also highlighted the significance of better management of the indoor air quality (IAQ) and noted, “Many dollars can be saved and can be gained by simply treating the environment right.”
People spend most of their time inside buildings. IAQ is therefore an important determinant of their health and well-being, according to Timothy Berge, Co-Chair of ECCT’s Better Living Committee.
Freddie Hoglund, CEO of ECCT, said, there are many reasons related to the air quality in Taiwan, people often blame China for the bad air. “Where does the pollution come from?’ he asked.
Dr. Su provided some insights from research data and noted, “If we talk about in winter has much linkage to the China, but it is the summer time the level of the pm 2.5 has more to do the local sources.”
The government has sponsored the research of indoor air pollution and related health effects for more than 20 years. “The data to support and lead to the announcement or the indoor air quality management was very much base on the research information of my group and my collage for more than 15 years,” said Dr. Su.
The establishment of the IAQ Law in 2011 makes Taiwan the second country in the world only after the South Korea to announce such regulation, according to Dr. Su.
In her talk, Dr. Su also talked about the impact of climate change on indoor environments. “The increase outdoor ozone level will somehow link to the increase of indoor level as well, and somehow that would also trigger the production of some secondary pollutant.”
Climate change may worsen existing indoor environmental problems and introduce new problems. She said, “Increasing level of floods, typhoon or increase sea level on the coastline would be linked to either flooding or damages to the building; therefore, that will trigger the growth of indoor micros or other bacteria and therefore it will be then more likely to present the cases of microbiology-related diseases or health consequences.”
She mentioned typical IAQ issues around the world. “As you can see, many of them associate with fail to clean the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. I have seen them in Taipei regularly, even in some very costly building, because no one really bothers to look into how frequently and how in detail those HVAC systems are clean,” she said.
Also dealing with the insufficient ventilation, she added, “this is typical and I seen in government building, in private building as well. Without the proper or the adequate knowledge in handling the adequate ventilation, it will be another concern.”
“We have been advocating how to lessen and lower the level of indoor decoration that will be another primary strategy that people can easily adopt and manage their indoor environment,” she said.
At the end of her talk, Dr. Su provided a take-home message to her audience, “Just be very alert to what your outdoor environment is and what’s your indoor situation is.”
“In Taiwan, we would encourage people to open their window whenever possible, and make sure you have sufficient ventilation of the outdoor air and make use of less decoration and aromatic materials,” she noted.
Dr. Su has devoted most of her research efforts to the topic of air pollution and related health effects, with particular emphasis on the rising global concerns about airborne microbial hazards. She was an expert member of the committee that prepared the WHO report on Guidance for Biological Agents in the Indoor Environment.
In recent years, Dr. Su has extended her investigation into the health outcomes attributable to global environmental changes.
She has also served on the National Committee for Air Pollution Abatement as well as National Council for Sustainable Development where she advised and supervised national programs on assessing health risks associated with environmental exposure.
Enditem/
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