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Deadly air pollution on the increase in Hong Kong
Want to do sports in HK? There are only 30 days in HK which the air is safe to do sports outside according to the WHO guidelines.
A report in Hong Kong media last week says the city and its surrounding areas experienced life-threatening levels of air pollution one in every eight days last year.
The South China Morning Post reports figures from the Environment Protection Department showing there were 44 days of ‘very high pollution’ reported in Central, on Hong Kong island. In some areas air quality has deteriorated five-fold in just five years, and there are criticisms that official records do not show the whole picture.
Click here to read the report from New York Times.
Presenter: Bo Hill
Speaker: Gerald Winnington-Ingram, Clear the Air Hong Kong
- Listen:
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WINNINGTON-INGRAM: We have now in Hong Kong a situation where we only have 41 days of healthy breathable air according to the WHO guidelines per year. Irrespective of the fact that you cannot see anything which is a shame, because it really is a beautiful city and a beautiful place to be living, the health implications are very, very serious and you certainly would not want to be doing any physical exercise on one of those days. We have only some 30 days in which it is safe to do sports outside and then according to the WHO guidelines.
HILL: Are there particular areas of Hong Kong, say Central or the New Territories, that suffer worse than elsewhere?
WINNINGTON-INGRAM: There are. For example, Nathan Road, which is an extremely popular tourist destination – well there we have nitrogen dioxide levels at some 380 milligrams per cubic metre and that’s well in excess of WHO guideline which is for 200 milligrams per cubic metre and in fact even Hong Kong’s own air quality objective is for 300, so it’s well in excess of that. So that’s Nathan Road. Plus also parts of the Central District – Des Voeux Road, which is a major thoroughfare running through the central business area, that has a reading of around 390 milligrams per cubic metre of nitrogen dioxide. Hennessy Road is another one which is in Wan Chai, again a very popular local area – 480. So these are areas you certainly don’t want to be going in at all on a bad day. But if you’re suffering from any form of respiratory disease or heart complaint, it is actually very dangerous. We had in 2008, over 1,000 avoidable deaths, some 81,000 avoidable hospital days as a consequence, something in the order of seven and a quarter million avoidable doctors visits and all of that amounts to the cost in the order of about 230 million Hong Kong dollars, which could have been avoided. Now that doesn’t even take into account all the other ailments such as coughs, sore throats and itchy eyes, that were not even reported.
HILL: So huge costs, not only monetary but also physically. What’s been done about it and can Hong Kong authorities be doing more?
WINNINGTON-INGRAM: Well, I think they could be doing a lot more and we certainly and other green groups are campaigning extremely hard. Fifty three per cent of air pollution is local and it’s actually Hong Kong is the dominant source. Yes, we do get air pollution coming from the Pearl River Delta of course, but roadside pollution which is a major problem in Hong Kong is caused by local conditions. Some 50 per cent of Hong Kong’s total emissions is also being caused by power plants. Forty per cent of roadside emissions have been caused by buses. The government’s figures go nowhere close to showing the real picture and the real affect of air pollution in Hong Kong.
source: Radio Australia
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201001/s2791277.htm
Christian Masset – Clear The Air
Clear The Air
Improving urban air quality through advocacy, education and empowering the public.
Founded 12 years ago Clear The Air counts now over 1000 members through the reach of its website and Facebook profile. Actions have ranged from published articles, to speaking at Legco, education and advocacy campaigns to cut harmful and polluting emissions at the source.
Contact:
Tel : 2579 9398 (please leave a message and we’ll call you back)
Fax : +852 2565 9537
Email : askus@cleartheair.org.hk
HK Earth Champions Knowledge Pond Launched
The launch of the Hong Kong Earth Champions Knowledge Pond will be a celebrated unveiling of a rich and diverse collection of local wisdom and environmental solutions from the community of Hong Kong.
The Knowledge Pond is a resource that will serve to improve Hong Kong’s local environment by offering practical solutions and knowledge tha can help the community alleviate climate change.
To learn more please visit: http://www.earthchampions.com/
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A Post from Christian Masset, Clear the Air: http://pond.designmaxstudio.com.au/topic/air/christian-masset-clear-the-air/
Lower emission standards fail to stop most dangerous particles
SCMP
The government’s air-quality consultant, Ove Arup, says there are more regional rather than local sources for PM2.5 pollution [superfine particles].
Hong Kong is affected by northerly winds from the Pearl River Delta for only half the year. Indeed power companies in the delta started installing flue gas desulphurisation three years earlier than Hong Kong and Shanghai buses run off methanol.
PM2.5 pollution is the most lethal in our air. These particles are at least 30 times thinner than human hair in diameter and carry heavy metals from combustion processes that remain suspended in our air like cigarette smoke, restricting visibility and are unable to be filtered by lung or throat hairs so they enter unhindered into the lungs.
Our major polluters are our power stations that burn cheap coal, pre-Euro I diesel vehicles and ships in our port that burn the dregs of high-sulphur bunker fuel.
The Indigo (Agglomerator) technology that catches these particulates from power companies is available at the cost of just 17 days’ worth of Hong Kong’s coal supply.
By proposing interim World Health Organisation standards, the government allows the power companies to fit lower levels of best available current technology and still meet the emission standards, to the demise of public health.
Licence fees for pre-Euro I diesel engines could be tripled to encourage owners to trade up to Euro V models, which are four to six times less polluting. Shipping zones that are emission control areas in our waters need to be mandated like the US, forcing ships to use low-sulphur fuel.
Many ocean-going vessels are already equipped with separate tanks to use low-sulphur fuel in harbour areas or they cannot enter first-world ports. Scaremongering the public by erroneous statements of how much clean air will cost them without offsetting the HK$3 billion in current medical costs is a blatant omission.
London will very soon have more than 330 hybrid electric double-decker buses running in its busy streets, which Hong Kong needs to emulate.
James Middleton, chairman, energy committee, Clear the Air
Observatory Says Weather Conditions Likely to Improve
Simpson Cheung, SCMP – Jun 01, 2009
The city’s recent poor air quality was expected to improve soon, the Hong Kong Observatory said on Monday.
A spokesman for the observatory said the air quality was likely to get better because windy weather was helping to disperse pollutants.
The Roadside Air Pollution Index showed air pollution was very high in some major urban areas on Monday morning.
Causeway Bay recorded the highest level – at 135, while Mongkok was 110 and Central reached 114, the index showed.
The Environmental Protection Department said on Monday that Hong Kong’s calm weather conditions had affected the air quality.
And the Hedley Environmental Index – which measures the social and health impact that pollution – said on Monday levels were high enough to cause four premature deaths – and were the second highest levels recorded this year.
There has been considerable concern in Hong Kong in recent years about the impact pollution is having on people’s health and quality of life.
The Hedley Environmental Index website noted that “air pollution causes about 7 million additional doctor visits across the population in Hong Kong each year”.
The Environmental Protection Department said Hong Kong was facing two main air pollution problems. “One is local street-level pollution. The other is the regional smog problem,” it says.
The street level pollution is mainly caused by diesel vehicles in the city. However, smog is also generated by pollutants from factories, power plants and motor vehicles both in Hong Kong and southern China.
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James Middleton, Clear the Air says: hey EPD wake up, what about the coal burning power plants and the ships burning high sulphur oil ??
Australia Defends Inclusion Of Air Pollution In New Travel Warning
Rosanne Barrett, SCMP – Mar 26, 2009
The Australian government has defended its decision to cite air pollution in Hong Kong in a new travel warning. It said a change to its travel advice for the city, highlighting the potential health impacts of air pollution, was timely as part of a “comprehensive, consistent and factual” warning.
The South China Morning Post (SEHK: 0583, announcements, news) reported yesterday that Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs had included a notice about air pollution in Hong Kong as a health issue as part of an updated alert on Monday.
It warned that air pollution levels could “aggravate bronchial, sinus or asthma conditions”, and that people with heart or respiratory illnesses should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities on days when very high pollution levels were recorded.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the department said the change to the travel advice brought it in line with “similarly affected” places and used the Hong Kong government’s own health advice to its citizens.
“The Australian government has an obligation to notify its citizens to circumstances that may affect their welfare when travelling,” he said.
But a spokesman for lobby group Clear The Air said the advice was not up to date as it used government data that relied on old standards and did not reflect current World Health Organisation air quality standards.
The WHO’s standards for measuring air pollution are stricter than those used by the Hong Kong government.
City’s Air Is Bad For You, Australians Told Visitors From Down Under Get Pollution Alert
Rosanne Barrett, SCMP – Mar 25, 2009
The Australian government has cited Hong Kong’s air pollution as a potential health issue, in a new travel warning to its citizens.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs issued the updated travel advice on Monday, which is sent to all subscribers and posted on its Smartraveller website.
It comes amid the ongoing debate over how air pollution in the city should be monitored and whether World Health Organisation-approved targets for pollutants should be adopted.
The travel advice highlighted air pollution levels when Australians travelled to the city. “The levels of air pollution in Hong Kong may aggravate bronchial, sinus or asthma conditions,” it said.
“People with existing heart or respiratory illnesses should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities on days when very high pollution levels are recorded.”
It advised visitors to check pollution levels on Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department website.
The Smartraveller website also highlighted pollution levels on the mainland, particularly those in the industrialised areas of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Although the site suggests the bad air may “aggravate bronchial, sinus or asthma conditions”, it does not offer advice to travellers to avoid activity.
Air-quality concerns regarding seasonal haze in Singapore and Thailand are also included.
A spokesman for the Australian department said the travel advice was changed during quarterly updating. Last night he could not say why air pollution was now included, when it had previously not been.
Clear The Air chairman Christian Masset said the warning made it clear that Hong Kong’s air quality was no longer just a local issue.
He said the warning could shame the city into acting faster to reduce fine particles known as PM2.5 and to phase out diesel engines, which he said would be “a good thing”.
He said tourists should be warned about pollution as it was “a fact”.
“They should be warned they might not see the harbour from The Peak. The tourists who have been fortunate enough to come when the wind was blowing the right way have nothing to complain about, but for others it might make them think twice about coming to Hong Kong.
“It is a major deterrent to developing a sound tourism industry.”
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said pollution levels varied and normally did not affect residents’ and visitors’ daily activities.
Asked if visitors should be concerned, he said the government had taken measures to improve air quality, but added: “Hong Kong, like most metropolises in the world, has a heavy concentration of people and activities that could strain its air.”
He said roadside levels of respirable particulates, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide had fallen by 21 per cent, 23 per cent and 19 per cent respectively since 1999.
The 2008 Lonely Planet travel guide said air pollution was “perhaps Hong Kong’s most pressing environmental problem”, causing up to 15,600 premature deaths each year.
Yesterday’s air pollution index was medium to high, with the Mong Kok roadside station recording the highest reading of 73.
Lawmakers Hit Out At Air-quality Targets
Joyce Ng, SCMP – Mar 20, 2009
Lawmakers criticised the government yesterday for setting its targets for meeting World Health Organisation air quality guidelines so low, and for lacking a timetable for implementing them.
Their comments came at a meeting of the Legislative Council environmental affairs panel to discuss a report on the air quality objectives review, released last week.
Democrat Lee Wing-tat said many measures suggested in the review had been discussed for years, such as the electronic road-pricing system and low-emission zones.
“Has the government really decided to implement these measures? Otherwise, improving air quality will only remain empty talk,” he said.
Mr Lee also criticised the administration for choosing the lowest interim targets, and for dragging out the process.
Another Democrat, Kam Nai-wai, said the government justified the adoption of the least stringent standards by scare tactics, such as saying that electricity charges would rise by 20 per cent if half of the city’s power was generated by using natural gas.
He quoted a petition by Friends of the Earth that said all the measures would bring a health benefit worth HK$61.4 billion, which outweighed their cost of HK$28.5 billion.
Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah said pollutants such as carbon monoxide and lead would be controlled by the more stringent sets of standards.
Mr Yau and the consultant that conducted the review, Ove Arup, said it was unable to give a timetable for implementation. Ove Arup director Alan Kwok said: “The measures suggested for phase one are related to businesses and the community. We have to ask the public whether they accept the measures, and we need businesses to give us a timetable.”
The review suggested Hong Kong should adopt the least stringent of the WHO’s three sets of guidelines for sulfur dioxide and ozone, but relatively tougher limits for respirable suspended particles.
Nineteen first-phase measures, including increasing the use of natural gas, were identified as helping to meet the new objectives.
The consultant will complete a draft report in June after gathering views at a public forum today.
HK Told To Aim Low On Clean-air Targets Officials Advise Adopting WHO’s Guidelines
Cheung Chi-fai, SCMP – Updated on Mar 14, 2009
Hong Kong has been advised to adopt the minimum targets of World Health Organisation air quality guidelines, officials said yesterday.
They were unveiling the outcome of the air quality objectives review conducted by its consultant since June 2007. The review aimed to update the standards unchanged since 1987, with reference to the WHO guidelines issued in 2006.
Compliance with the WHO guidelines could cut hospital admissions caused by air pollution and increase the average Hongkonger’s lifespan by around nine hours, they said.
But the officials failed to offer either a timetable for meeting the targets or a road map for going beyond that, saying issues about the pace and willingness to pay for clean air measures would be left to the public to decide in a consultation later this year.
According to the review findings, Hong Kong should adopt the least stringent of the WHO’s three sets of guidelines for sulfur dioxide and ozone but relatively tougher limits for respirable suspended particles.
The consultant also proposed introducing a limit for fine particles known as PM2.5, which were believed to be more detrimental to health than heavier particles.
A total of 19 first-phase measures, including increasing the use of natural gas, were identified as helping to meet the new objectives. There were another 17 measures for longer-term targets.
Among these early measures, the most cost-effective was bus route-rationalisation. However, the early retirement of old diesel vehicles delivered most benefits.
The officials estimated that electricity charges would rise by 20 per cent if half of the city’s power was generated using natural gas. They also estimated that bus fares would increase by 15 per cent if all old buses were phased out.
However, a green group described the estimates as “scare tactics”, saying it was being used by the government to justify adoption of the least stringent of the WHO’s three sets of standards.
“The only purpose of these figures is to scare the public. But it has failed to take into account the health cost of pollution,” said Edward Chan Yue-fai, campaigner for Greenpeace.
Full compliance with the new objectives could save 4,000 hospital admissions a year. The estimated minimum cost of implementing the measures was around HK$28.5 billion.
A senior environment official yesterday declined to give an estimated time frame for meeting the objectives. The official said the pace, priority and price of the measures would be clearer after collecting views from a public forum on the review next Friday, and they would become the core questions in the final public consultation to be launched in the summer.
“The targets are ambitious and there is a lot of work to achieve them. But we will definitely speed them up,” the official said.
The official also said that no country had adopted the most stringent targets and it was believed a “progressive” approach towards meeting the long-term goals was more preferable.
The officials also warned that power plants might be unable to renew their licences while new infrastructure projects would not be able to go ahead if some unachievable targets became the criteria for environmental impact assessment.
They said “more radical measures” were required in both Hong Kong and Guangdong if the targets were to go beyond the proposed air quality objectives.