Concentrations of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) were at "high" and "very high" levels in areas of western Taiwan on Sunday. PM2.5 readings there ranged between 7-10 on a scale where ten is the highest and the most hazardous PM2.5 concentration.
The worst affected areas, registering a ten on the scale, were in Miaoli and Changhua Counties. Other areas in Hsinchu, Taichung and Yunlin registered a nine.
The Environmental Protection Administration was advising residents in the affected areas, especially those with allergies, to avoid prolonged or strenuous physical activity outdoors.
The administration also advised people to burn their ghost money at local incinerators during the Tomb Sweeping holidays, rather than simply polluting the atmosphere by burning the paper in the open.
Meanwhile, DPP lawmaker Liu Chien-kuo has proposed a new law which would include hazardous PM2.5 levels under the umbrella of disaster prevention. He said the reason for pushing the draft bill is that studies have shown that high PM2.5 levels raise the mortality risk.