Abstract
The objective of this paper was to offer a preliminary overview of Taiwan’s success in green building material (GBM) efforts through legal systems and promotion measures, which are relevant to the contribution to indoor air quality (IAQ) due to sustainability and health issues. In the first part of the paper, the IAQ regulations are summarized to highlight the second nation (i.e., Taiwan) around the world in IAQ management by the law. In addition, the permissible exposure limits (PEL) in Taiwan for airborne hazardous substances were first promulgated in 1974 to deal with occupational health issues in the workplace environment. In the second part of the paper, the developing status of the GBM in Taiwan is analyzed to unravel its connection with the Indoor Air Quality Management Act (IAQMA), promulgated on 23 November 2011. By the end of September 2017, a total of 645 GBM labels have been conferred, covering over 5000 green products. Due to the effectiveness of source control, the healthy GBM occupies most of the market, accounting for about 75%. The IAQMA, which took force in November 2012, is expected to significantly increase the use of healthy GBM in new building construction and remodeling, especially in low formaldehyde (HCHO)/volatile organic compound (VOC)-emitting products.
Highlights
Most people spend over two thirds of their time indoors
This paper offers a preliminary analysis of the indoor air quality (IAQ) improvement through of the joint efforts of the cross-ministries in Taiwan, including the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the Ministry of Labor (MOL) and the Ministry of Interior (MOI)
Interior decoration materials should be carried out the emission tests of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and formaldehyde by green building material (GBM) performance testing agencies, which should be certified by the MOI
Summary
The indoor air at home or in an office building, school and other workplaces could be contaminated by a variety of gaseous and particulate contaminants that are sometimes present in concentrations above those which cause adverse health effects. Through the media’s reports on the monitoring results of IAQ by academic scholars and non-profit organizations, Taiwanese people have been increasingly paying attention to the adverse impact of IAPs on human health since the early 2000s. This has led to the necessity of legislation for the purposes of protecting public health and improving work performance. In line with the international trends in GB and/or sustainable building in recent years, the developing status of the GBM in Taiwan is analyzed in the second part of the paper to unravel its connection with the IAQ
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