Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) warned of poor air quality in western Taiwan on Sunday as 33 air quality monitoring stations flashed either an orange or red warning around noon, indicating generally unhealthy air.

As of 1:00 p.m., the EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) flashed red, signaling unhealthy air for the general public, at 6 monitoring stations in the western half of the island, including Chiayi, Tainan, as well as Kaohsiung in the south, according to the AQI network (http://taqm.epa.gov.tw/taqm/en/).

Meanwhile, 27 monitoring stations in Taiwan, as well as the outlying county of Kinmen, flashed orange, indicating unhealthy air for sensitive groups, the website showed.

In the rest of western Taiwan and all of eastern Taiwan, the air quality was rated as either good or fair, the monitoring data showed.

Considering that the AQI at more than one-third of the monitoring stations in most parts of the west flashed red or orange alerts, state-owned Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) was considering reducing the output of the coal-fired Hsieh-ho Power Plant in Keelung in northern Taiwan, the coal-fired Taichung Power Plant in central Taiwan and the coal-fired Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung in the south to bring down air pollution emissions, according to the EPA.

The EPA's AQI takes into account ozone, PM2.5 and PM10 particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide concentrations in the air.

The EPA advises people in areas with poor air quality to avoid outdoor activities if they experience eye irritation, coughing or a sore throat.

Meanwhile, young children, seniors and people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in those areas should avoid physical exertion and wear facial masks when outside, the EPA said.

(By Wu Hsin-yun and Evelyn Kao)
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