Chiayi City promoted the indoor air quality maintenance and management program(2023)
This project carries out from January 20 to December 15, 2023, and the outcome of it is demonstrated as follows:
(1)Guidance meeting:
The meeting was held on April 21, and its topics are as follows: " Promote indoor air quality maintenance and management advocacy and control operation in 2022" and "Key points of indoor air quality maintenance and management in the post-epidemic era." The meeting is mainly to continue encouraging public and private places to implement independent maintenance and management of indoor air quality. In this meeting, the EPB explained to each place the direction of relevant IAQ policy promotion and the incentive measures for the label. Let all places understand and cooperate with the EPB to conduct relevant publicity, investigation, and counseling work. These places are expected to have the correct maintenance concept and apply it to daily epidemic prevention and IAQ maintenance and management.
(2)Investigation of indoor air quality of 100 sites (200 times):
The number of premises inspected using direct-read instruments is 200. The results indicated that nineteen of these premises are abnormal. There are 7 premises for hospitals, 5 premises for government offices, 2 for kindergartens, 2 for gym, 1 for cinema, 1 for college, and 1 for retirement center. Most of the air pollutants of anomalies detected at all premises were CO2. These phenomena showed that indoor ventilation is insufficient to lead to abnormal CO2 concentration. Some premises due to the IAQ were related to the adverse effects of outdoor air quality.
(3)Aiding 100 sites to set up maintenance and management regulations:
This project has aided 100 locations to set up and fill up maintenance and management plans with examinations.At the same time, this project also offers strategies and solutions while the indoor air quality is necessary to be improved. At first, we illustrate related laws and duties that they should follow and fulfill, and we remind them of the daily maintenance regulations.
(4)Holding inter-bureau coordination meetings:
The inter-bureau coordination meeting was held to keep track of the issues brought up at 2023 yearly meeting. The meeting mainly explained the policy promotion status of the EPA’s newly announced listed sites and the IAQ self-management label policy and promotion. Relevant bureaus are requested to assist in updating the expected new list of announcement sites and advocate for relevant policy information. In addition, the plan updates the contact windows for bureaus. We investigate the activities that bureaus can cooperate with this project to promote indoor air quality in public places.
(5)Examining the standards of indoor air quality at 12 locations:
This project has commissioned the organizations certificated by the Environmental Protection Administration to examine IAQ in 5announced sites and 5 non-announced. The test results of the five unannounced places are in accordance with the IAQ standard. This project has assisted the five sites to obtain the excellent label of IAQ. The measured values of 5 announced places meet the indoor air quality standards, but 2 of them are respectively the CO2 concentration (826 ppm) and bacterial concentration (837 CFU/m3) exceed the excellent grade standard. Therefore, an improvement period has been given by EPB in order to comply with the label regulation. Subsequent improvements were completed in one site, and the other one was disqualified for the excellent label due to exceeding the improvement period.
(6) Continuously inspecting CO2 at 2 locations:
From March 20 and September 18, this project conducted continuous monitoring of CO2 in a Cinema (Showtime Cinemas of Chiayi City) and a Hospital (Qingsheng Hospital), as a case of excellent ventilation management in the post-epidemic era of the year, in order to help the two types of places to understand the indoor CO2 concentration. In addition, recommendations for indoor ventilation management were also provided. The results showed that the cinema CO2 sensor control device linked to the Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system to enhance indoor ventilation can effectively maintain good CO2 quality for the start-up value set at 1000 ppm during non-holiday periods, but the CO2 sensor should be lowered during holiday periods with high crowds. The setting value of the control device below 800 ppm will help the place maintain good indoor ventilation and air exchange. The CO2 concentration in the Hospital is slightly higher during some periods, but it meets the eight-hour average indoor air quality standard. Experts have been entrusted to provide on-site guidance and adjust the timing of opening doors, windows, and exhaust fans for ventilation management.
(7) On-site aiding 6 locations to maintain and manage indoor air quality:
From August, two experts and scholars were invited to conduct on-site counselling for 4 locations. The 4 locations selected are due to abnormal indoor air quality and poor maintenance management. Common IAQ problems observed from on-site counseling are insufficient ventilation and dust accumulation on the air outlet of air conditioning system. After the counseling, improvements have been completed at 3 locations, and another location is being improved.
(8)Investigation of indoor air quality at 30 non-publication sites:
In August, two experts and scholars were invited to provide on-site counseling on abnormal IAQ and poor maintenance and management of 4 premises. Common IAQ problems observed on-site counseling are insufficient ventilation and dust accumulation on the air conditioning system's air outlet. After counseling, 3 premises have been improved, and another 1 is being improved.
(9)Guiding public and private places to obtain the indoor air quality self-management label
This year, we have guided 24 premises to obtain IAQ self-management labels. There are 5 announced premises that have obtained the excellent label and 4 that have obtained the good label. Among non-announced premises, 14 have obtained the excellent label and 1 has obtained the good grade label. Among the 14 premises that obtained the excellent label, 5 postpartum care institutions all obtained the excellent label after counseling to protect the health of mothers and infants.
