| Concerns are raised about possible fatal design flaw in green vehicles after deadly collision in Shenzhen | |||||
| Choi Chi-yuk May 28, 2012 |
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A fatal road accident in Shenzhen at the weekend has raised concerns about the safety of electric cars developed on the mainland amid an ongoing central government push for them to be more widely used. At about 3am on Saturday, a speeding sports car rear-ended a BYD E6 electric taxi, causing the cab to catch fire, killing the driver and two passengers, according to The Southern Metropolis News. Police said the driver of the sports car had been drinking. He fled the scene with three young women in the car, but turned himself in yesterday. One witness, another taxi driver, said: “The sports car must have been driving at between 150 and 200km/h when it passed me. I was driving at more than 90km/h.” He added that he saw the BYD taxi in flames on the roadside a few minutes later. Numerous calls to BYD for comment went unanswered yesterday. The electric taxi and its occupants were incinerated, the report said. A member of the rescue team said that, based on the wreckage, it was possible that an explosion occurred in the electric car. The accident raised concerns, largely online, over the safety of electric cars, the report added. Lo Kok-keung, an engineer with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said that a fully charged lithium battery could explode in a serious crash. “The crash could result in a short circuit, which, in turn, could make the battery hot and eventually explode within a matter of seconds,” Lo said. “This is the major hidden danger of electric cars that doesn’t exist in vehicles that consume petrol.” With support from the central government, BYD has poured billions of yuan into developing its electric vehicles, offering tens of thousands of yuan in rebates for buyers. The Shenzhen government has also spared no effort in building new charging stations. Shares in the Hong Kong-listed carmaker soared in 2009 upon word of the environmentally friendly push, and after the high-profile backing of US billionaire Warren Buffett. But the stock plunged last year on poor sales. About 300 BYD E6 taxis and 200 buses, all of which run solely on electricity, are operating on the streets of Shenzhen. Lo suggested that makers of electric cars install circuit breakers on each battery, to help avoid future explosions in accidents. “The safety of electric vehicles could certainly be raised significantly by doing so,” he said. In a move to become China’s electric vehicle capital, Shenzhen in March set a goal to replace more than 50 per cent of the city’s internal combustion engine buses with electric or hybrid models by 2015. Shenzhen mayor Xu Qin said during the current National People’s Congress in Beijing that within three years the city would ban all vehicles that failed to meet the country’s advanced emission standards. Xu said 3,000 electric or hybrid vehicles were put into use in Shenzhen last year, and 2,000 were planned for this year. In Shenzhen, every electric bus put on the road has received a one million yuan (HK$1.22 million) subsidy since 2010, half from the central government and half from Shenzhen’s. Subsidies for hybrid buses were increased from 300,000 to 600,000 yuan last year. |
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China
Three die as electric taxi explodes
Shenzhen seas seriously polluted
SCMP
| Only 38pc of coastal waters off the city found to be clean, 2011 study by urban planning body shows | |||||
| Sally Wang May 13, 2012 |
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Nearly half of Shenzhen’s coastal waters were found to be seriously contaminated last year, and nine sewage drainage lines were found to be discharging excessive pollutants, according to a maritime study. A professor of marine chemistry says the problem could worsen this year, as some temporary efforts to improve water quality last year for the World University Games are no longer in effect. The 2011 study, issued on Wednesday by Shenzhen’s Urban Planning and Land Resources Commission, found a total of 565 square kilometres of seriously contaminated seawater. Of the remaining waters, 145 square kilometres were lightly or moderately polluted, and 435 square kilometres were clean. The contaminated waters were concentrated in Deep Bay and at the mouth of the Pearl River. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphates were the major pollutants. Though the report covered only waters off Shenzhen, Professor Xu Hong , who has taught marine chemistry at Shenzhen University, said that the contaminated water could make its way to other areas, including Hong Kong. He blamed illicit discharging of pollutants, along with a lack of oversight, for the heavy pollution. “The government has been addressing excessive discharge through campaigns rather than regular monitoring and checks,” he said. Xu said rapidly increasing pollution caused the high contamination levels in waters of western Shenzhen. In comparison, seawater quality in the city’s east was found to be much better. In Dapeng and Daya bays, both in east Shenzhen, the contamination level was in the first and second categories of the national seawater standards, indicating relatively clean water. But the water in Deep Bay – also known as Shenzhen Bay – and the mouth of the Pearl River was in the fourth category, the worst. Excessively polluting sewage drains were found responsible for seriously contaminated water near the Kuichong River in the east, and near a sewage-treatment plant in the western Shekou Industrial Zone. Nitrogen and phosphorus discharged from domestic sewage lines near Deep Bay and the mouth of the Pearl River, coupled with excessive heavy metals from industrial waste in the city’s western region, are adversely affecting the marine ecosystem, the study found. There has also been oil pollution from the city’s busy ports. The water quality was better last year than in 2010, according to the report, which pointed to the efforts made ahead of the World University Games the city hosted in August. Most areas off Shenzhen where seafood and other marine products are farmed met safety standards, as they are mostly in the east. The two major beaches in the city, at the Dameisha and Xiaomeisha seaside resorts, also recorded good water quality last year, with the waters of Dameisha good for swimming for about 82 per cent of the 190 monitored days from April to October, while in Xiaomeisha the waters were good more than 93 per cent of the time. |
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Beijing adviser calls for C.Y. to assert executive’s role
| SCMP
Hong Kong does not have a separation of powers with legislature and judiciary, Zhu Yucheng says |
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| Dennis Chong May 13, 2012 |
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Chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying should strengthen the executive-led system of government after he takes office in July, a top adviser to Beijing says. Zhu Yucheng , a former deputy director of Xinhua in Hong Kong, made the suggestion a day after pan-democrats succeeded in delaying a Legislative Council debate on a by-elections bill for the second week running. “What we have to pay attention to now is the original meaning of ‘one country, two systems’,” Zhu said yesterday on the sidelines of the opening of Tsinghua University’s first Hong Kong and Macau affairs think tank. “The political system [of Hong Kong] is an executive-led system, not a separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary. “Leung will have an advantage [in implementing this principle] as he did a large amount of research and investigation when the Basic Law was drafted.” Zhu, a close ally of former vice-president Zeng Qinghong – who was in charge of Hong Kong affairs prior to Vice-President Xi Jinping – served in Hong Kong at a time when the official news agency performed a similar role to that of the central government’s liaison office today. He also helped form a think tank under the State Council to promote stability in Hong Kong and Macau soon after the 500,000-strong anti-government march on July 1, 2003. Zhu (pictured) is an adviser to the new Tsinghua University Hong Kong and Macau Study Centre in Shenzhen. The university, traditionally strong in science and engineering, has appointed dean of law Wang Zhenmin to lead the centre. It will run training courses for civil servants in collaboration with government bodies. Another Beijing adviser, Lin Tai, a professor of social sciences at the university, said Leung must take responsibility for pushing through policies, as civil servants had faced difficultiesafter the handover when trying to turn ideas into reality. On the issue of mainland mothers-to-be visiting Hong Kong to give birth, Wang said the city’s government should explore all executive or legal means before considering taking up the issue with Beijing for a reinterpretation of the Basic Law. “It should be handled by the Special Administrative Region government … through executive and legal means,” he said. “If it is handled locally, there is no need for a reinterpretation.” A spokeswoman for the new centre said it would advise on “strategic” issues and the long-term development of the country, as well as deepening co-operation between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland. |
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Eastday-US consulate to release PM2.5 air-quality readings
http://english.eastday.com/e/120512/u1a6549618.html
US consulate to release PM2.5 air-quality readings 2012-05-12 09:48
THE US consulate in Shanghai has installed an air-quality monitor to measure PM2.5, or particulates less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, to indicate the air quality in the area near its office on Huaihai Road M.
“The monitor is an unofficial resource and for the health of the consulate community, and citywide analysis of air quality cannot be done using readings from a single machine,” the consulate said yesterday on its website.
The consulate said the measure is in line with the US Embassy’s practice of making air-quality data available to the American community in Beijing.
The monitoring machine is installed in the consulate’s offices and hourly readings will be available on the consulate’s official Twitter account.
“We have installed a PM2.5 air-quality monitor, and we are running some tests. Once those tests are finished, we will provide more details,” Wylita Bell, information officer of the consulate, told Shanghai Daily yesterday.
The consulate will use a US formula to convert PM 2.5 readings into an air-quality index and set six health-related levels from “good” to “hazardous.”
The index is different from the Air Pollution Index used in China that sets five levels from “excellent” to “seriously polluted.”
PM2.5 can affect air quality and visibility and pose major health risks, as the tiny particles are small enough to lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing premature death and chronic diseases.
“The data from the consulate will be able to indicate the air quality of the limited area around the consulate,” said Wang Qian, a forecaster of the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center.
The center began publicizing data on two local spots in Putuo District and Zhangjiang in the Pudong New Area in March.
Wang said the data from the center will be similar to that from the consulate but the US standards will be tougher than the current standards of China.
China’s acceptable daily limit for PM2.5 is 75 micrograms per cubic meter, compared with about 25 in the US. That means when the official data of Shanghai’s air-monitoring watchdog shows the city’s air condition is “good,” the US standard might show “unhealthy.”
The data from the center, which now uses mainly the larger PM10 particulates, showed the city’s air quality was “good” yesterday. With a strong wind from the southeast sweeping the city, the air quality will remain good in the next few days, Wang said.
“It is a good thing for the consulate to start monitoring the PM2.5, because it provides reference data for the city’s monitoring center,” said Zhuang Guoshun, environmental professor at Fudan University.
Shanghai has been putting monitoring equipment at more sites to add to the previous 24 local spots to monitor PM2.5 and is ready to release readings of the fine particle pollution in June.
The city is one of the first chosen to carry out PM2.5 and ozone monitoring in a program to go nationwide by 2016.
The new air-quality standards passed in February include indices for the concentration of PM2.5 in response to public pressure over pollution and the lack of thorough information about air quality.
Source:Shanghai Daily
Beijing to close 1,200 polluting enterprises
| Agence France-Presse in Beijing 2:47pm, May 10, 2012 |
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The authorities in Beijing said on Wednesday they plan to get rid of 1,200 high-polluting enterprises by 2015 to improve air quality in China’s capital, one of the world’s most polluted cities. The move follows a public backlash over the heavy smog that often envelops Beijing – sometimes so thick that it delays planes and trains going to and from the city – sparking health concerns among the general population. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said in a statement it planned to eliminate 1,200 high-polluting facilities such as foundries, chemical plants and furniture factories by 2015. “Industrial pollution is one of the main factors influencing the air quality in this city,” the bureau said. It did not specify whether the enterprises would be shut down or relocated to other areas of the country. Air quality in the capital has been bad for years, but netizens began to focus on it late last year after the US embassy started publishing its own pollution readings, which are often alarming. The embassy measures PM2.5 – the smallest, most dangerous pollution particles in the air – and posts the results on a Twitter feed. They often rank as “very unhealthy” or “hazardous”. Beijing’s government eventually caved into online pressure and said it would start publishing its own measures of PM2.5, as opposed to basing information on particles of 10 micrometres or larger, known as PM10, which are less harmful. It has also set up bicycle rental kiosks in the city in a bid to ease traffic congestion – another source of pollution. Authorities are also mulling new bike lanes. |
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No Easy Scapegoat for Hong Kong Pollution
The Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/04/30/no-easy-scapegoat-for-hong-kong-pollution/tab/print/
Bloomberg News
Pedestrians walk past the Central Roadside Air Quality Monitoring Station in the Central district of Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 18, 2012.
Hong Kong has long preferred to blame its smoggy skies on polluting factories just over the border in mainland China. But new analysis suggests that the blame for much of the city’s pollution rests squarely on Hong Kong’s shoulders.
According to just-released data from a regional government report, air quality in the Pearl River Delta area has continuously improved over the past year, thanks to initiatives to encourage better energy efficiency and cleaner industrial production. By contrast, Hong Kong’s own air quality, notably roadside pollution, has actually grown worse, says Clean Air Network, a local environmental group.
In the delta region last year, the average level of nitrogen dioxide, a key measure of roadside pollution (it’s the stuff that makes you cough when you pass by a bus trailing a cloud of smelly exhaust), was down by 13% from 2006 levels. But in Hong Kong, the levels measured at roadside monitoring stations during that same time period were actually up 28%, says the environmental group, citing data from Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department.
Indeed, for concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, Hong Kong ranks second among 32 major Chinese cities, surpassing even notoriously smoggy Beijing, according to official Chinese data.
“Hong Kong’s government is lagging behind the mainland here,” says Jia Yuling, the Clean Air Network’s education and research manager. For example, she notes, though Hong Kong has taken steps to adopt more stringent air-quality measures, “it was only after the same announcement in mainland China that Hong Kong’s government decided, ‘Oh, we need to catch up,’ and did the same.” For a city that’s wealthier than its mainland counterparts, says Ms. Jia, Hong Kong’s lack of leadership is disappointing.
To be sure, Hong Kong has taken steps to combat air pollution, including new measures to tamp down on sulfur dioxide emissions from local factories. But there’s plenty of room for improvement, says Ms. Jia, especially on issues of pollution from boats and ships, now one of the biggestcontributors to Hong Kong’s air-quality problem.
At this point, Hong Kong’s air has deteriorated to the point that it’s literally driving expatriates away from the region. Surveys have repeatedly found that the city’s noxious skies are hurting its competitiveness, with many expatriates preferring such greener, cleaner choices as Singapore. Tourists who make their way up to the city’s Peak to enjoy its famous views often find that the sought-after vistas are obscured by a dense blanket of smog.
The Clean Air Network says Hong Kong’s rising levels of car ownership and the aging of its vehicle fleet are partly to blame for its bad air. Across the border, a number of cities are taking on the problem of dirty old cars, and environmental activists say Hong Kong should do more to join them. For example, last week, Beijing’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau announced it would begin paying city residents and businesses between 2,500 yuan and 14,500 yuan ($397 to $2,301) to retire an aging or heavy-diesel vehicle. Other cities, such as Shenzhen, have offered similar deals.
Asked to comment on the issue, Hong Kong’s environmental-protection department hadn’t responded as of Monday afternoon.
“We can’t keep blaming regional air quality any more for our problems,” says Ms. Jia. “Hong Kong needs to do more to address local pollution on its own.”
– Te-Ping Chen. Follow her on Twitter @tepingchen
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Smog set to stay for years as ozone rises
SCMP
Environmentalist criticises government for blaming Guangdong and dry weather for increase in pollutant when cap on vehicle emissions will work |
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| Olga Wong Apr 27, 2012 |
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The city’s notorious smog will plague Hong Kong for years to come as the biggest pollutant contributing to it – ozone – is still on the rise. The concentration level of ozone hit a record high of 0.058 milligram per cubic metre on average last year, according to research by the regional air quality monitoring network, a 10 per cent year-on-year increase and a 21 per cent rise since the network began its monitoring in 2006. While the Environmental Protection Department was keen to take credit for reducing other pollutants, it blamed dry weather and rapid development in Guangdong province for the unprecedented ozone levels. But a leading environmentalist criticised the government for shifting the blame and urged it to adopt more drastic measures to reduce ozone – a main component of photochemical smog and a pollutant that can trigger asthma. Ozone is formed through a photochemical reaction between nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds under sunlight. Ozone is the only one of four pollutants monitored by the network that is on the increase. It also measures sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which fell 4 per cent and 7 per cent respectively last year compared with 2010. The fourth, respirable suspended particulates, remained at the same level. Since 2006, the pollutants have been reduced by 49 per cent, 13 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively. “The reduction is encouraging. It shows measures taken by both sides to improve air quality are working,” the department’s deputy director, Andrew Lai Chi-wah, said. But Lai blamed the accumulation of ozone on dry weather and the influence of Guangdong. “We had less rain and very high temperatures last year. We also saw a 10 per cent GDP growth in Guangdong,” he said, adding that the problem was difficult for Hong Kong to solve alone. Dave Ho Tak-yin, a principal environmental protection officer, said the Observatory recorded 38 per cent less rainfall and 16 per cent more sunlight last year. Ho said the problem could not be resolved quickly due to air pollution in the Pearl River Delta, adding: “The ozone spreads to Hong Kong with the monsoon.” But Man Chi-sum, the chief executive of the environmental group Green Power, said traffic, not the weather, was the key factor in ozone levels. “Weather can be influential but it is not the most critical factor,” he said. “Hong Kong has much room to reduce ozone by cutting the level of nitrogen oxides.” Man urged the incoming administration to impose a cap on the emissions of bus fleets, like it did for power plants, as diesel vehicles were a major source of nitrogen oxide. Other measures suggested in the past, such as electronic road pricing and setting up low-emission zones, should also be reconsidered, he said. |
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Ruling calls on foundations to come clean
| New regulation aims to restore public confidence in charitable bodies after scandals by demanding they declare all donation income and expenses | |||||||
| Zhuang Pinghui Apr 25, 2012 |
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The mainland plans to make charitable foundations more transparent and credible by forcing them to disclose their income, spending and use of donations, according to a draft regulation released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Released for public consultation until May 3, the ruling seeks to regulate the foundations’ acceptance and use of donations, their business and corporate activities and their disclosure of financial information. The regulation was drafted amid plummeting public confidence in charity organisations on the mainland after a series of scandals involving the Red Cross Society of China last year, including one involving an expensive lunch paid for by the organisation in Shanghai, and another over a senior official of the Kunming branch using society funds for personal spending. Additionally, a woman known as Guo Meimei , who falsely claimed to be working for the organisation, posted pictures online showing off luxury cars and handbags, sparking a public outcry before she admitted to lying. But investigations did reveal that the Red Cross’ name had been used for commercial gain. The number of charitable foundations on the mainland has grown by 20 per cent a year for the past six years. There were 2,500 last year, with total assets of more than 60 billion yuan (HK$73.6 billion). They received 33.7 billion yuan in donations last year and spent 25.6 billion yuan, according to the ministry. It said the foundations were still at the initial stage of development and had many problems, such as substandard internal management, unsound self-discipline, low credibility and a lack of transparency. “After generalising and studying the major problems, the regulation has been drafted to provide guidelines for the conduct of public interest charity organisations such as foundations and to promote standard operation and transparency,” the ministry said. Ma Xin , a ministry official in charge of non-government organisations, said the regulation sought to ensure that the public interest was upheld in every link of the chain, with foundations stepping up internal controls and regulation and taking responsibility for public donations. The draft regulation says foundations should not to use public donations to pay administrative expenses unless previously agreed with the donor, and that operating costs should not exceed 10 per cent of overall spending in any year. Foundations would be required to regularly publicise details of income and spending after fund-raising for emergencies, including donated income, donated materials and all the costs related to public interest projects. Such details should be made public every three months and announced in full after the project was completed. The Red Cross Society of China moved to improve its transparency and image by publishing information on donations and expenditure online in August, but that action prompted further questions about the system’s credibility. The draft regulation would also forbid foundations from using their names or public interest projects for commercial purposes, promoting and selling company products or brands and providing credibility or quality guarantees for companies. |
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HK must learn the science of policymaking
SCMP – 20 April, 2012
Christine Loh says the degree to which evidence and knowledge are tapped by policymakers on the mainland puts us to shame
China has substantially tightened its air quality standards because that is the way to drive improvements. Chinese scientists who advise the central authorities made this clear on Monday during a private briefing in Hong Kong.
Two-thirds of Chinese cities would fail to meet the stricter standards, which are being phased in nationwide over four years. Officials know this, but they see the improved standards as critical.
The public demands cleaner air. To achieve this, decision-makers rely on scientific evidence to help them see when, where and how they need to exert control for the largest gains. Scientists are called on frequently to work with policymakers; senior Chinese officials request expert briefings so they can better grasp essential issues.
Over the past 20 years, Chinese scientists’ improved ability to understand the complex chemical transformation of air pollutants has enabled them to give pointed advice. This process is well-developed in richer regions like Guangdong.
Indeed, Hong Kong’s scientists have worked alongside mainland partners for more than a decade on many leading national projects, including the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010.
If there is one thing Hong Kong officials can learn from the mainland, it is the importance of science in policymaking. While we have a large group of well-trained scientists at the Environmental Protection Department, the system doesn’t provide meaningful opportunities for them to work directly with senior officials, who are generalist administrative officers.
Moreover, officials seldom deliberate together with non-government experts from different disciplines, including economics and finance, to help them think more broadly about policy options.
The in-coming Leung Chun-ying administration can strengthen its capacity by encouraging political appointees and administrative officers to deliberate on issues with people who have solid expertise. Deliberation is for understanding; decision-making comes later. In between, officials can reach out to stakeholders, general advisers, non-governmental organisations and the public to test ideas.
The Hong Kong public would probably find such a process more effective because it is built around knowledge from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Officials still make the final decisions and are accountable for them. But a knowledge-driven deliberative process would give them the confidence to face legislative and public scrutiny of their policies.
Hong Kong officials must shape up, too, for one other reason – they need to keep up with their mainland counterparts. Increasingly today, both sides interact to co-ordinate on a range of policies. Many senior mainland officials today are well-briefed even about technical details. This means Hong Kong must pitch an equally competent team for cross-boundary dialogue.
The mainland’s speedy tightening of air quality standards came as a shock to local officials. In future, our top officials must know enough to be considered worthy counterparts and win mainland and local respect.
Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think tank Civic Exchange. cloh@civic-exchange.org
Small community suffers big cancer rate
http://www.humanrights-china.org/zt/photogallery/2004120041019102225.htm
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BEIJING, Oct.9, 2004 (Xinhuanet) — Last Thursday, the long–awaited climate–monitoring system from the Shenzhen Environmental Bureau finally rolled into Gangwan suggesting that the local government has begun investigating the environmental hazards reported by local residents from the cancer-ridden community.
Smoke billows from a Mawan Power House chimney. [YNET] The cancer report Eight–year–old He Chaoow lies in a hospital bed fighting cancer. On July 15 he was diagnosed with leukemia. His doctor told Nanfang Daily, a Guangdong-based newspaper, that the patient had to face several rounds of chemotherapy and that his liver, kidneys and other organs would be greatly damaged during the process. Even if the chemotherapy is a success, He will have to undergo a marrow transplant, which has a 50–percent success rate. He was born in Gangwan community, a living compound for employees of Nanshan Development Group in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, where his parents work. According to Zhu, vice-president of the group’s trade union, the number of cancer patients in Gangwan community is significant. “The are six adults and children with leukemia, and five of them got it in the past six years,” she said. Zhu’s records show that, altogether, 20 employees who work for the group have been diagnosed with cancer since 1998 The percentage of cancer patients is also surprisingly high in Chiwan village, which is adjacent to Gangwan community. There are seven cancer patients in this small village, which has less than 3,000 people. Wu Li is 46 years old and had just retired from Nanshan Group, was the only one to survive after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She has been living in the village for more than 20 years. In 2002, Wu’s sister-in-law, also from Gangwan community, died of gastric cancer. According to hospital records, neither Wu nor her sister-in-law carried the cancer gene.
Doubt haunts residents Among the 27 cancer patients in Gangwan community and Chiwan village, 16 were diagnosed with cancer from 1998 to 2004 – twice as many cases compared to the 1985-97 period. The increasing number of cancer patients has disturbed the peace in Gangwan community. Many local residents believe the region’s environment has been affected by the nearby Mawan Power House, Yueliangwan Power House, Nanshan Solid Waste Incineration Factory, Float Glass Factory and Nanhai Oils & Fats Factory. Lu, director of the Gangwan Community Property Management Committee, said the residents opposed the construction of these factories from the very beginning. When the first chimney of the Mawan Power House was erected in the 1990s, the residents wrote a letter to protest. However, their objections did not stop the construction. Instead, residents were forced to get accustomed to the environmental changes. Most residents are used to closing their windows and, according to Lu, some 100 households have moved to other districts. Xiao Congmin, a local resident of Gangwan community, outlined his living compound to Nanfang Daily: “Our community lies n a plain surrounded by mountains. Whenever the nearby factories discharge wastes, the wind will blow the smoke here.” According to a survey of 50 residents in Gangwan community conducted by Nanfang Daily, 52 percent said they believed the environment was becoming worse and almost one-half cited air pollution as a contributing factor. The cause Local residents doubt that environmental change is the culprit for the cancer. But Shenzhen medical experts cannot furnish a definite answer. Experts at the Chinese Medical Association, Shenzhen branch, told Nanfang Daily that there are so many factors affecting the environment, and that genetics and lifestyle could have contributed to the cancer. Regarding the incidence of cancer in Gangwan community, they said “it is difficult to assert a conclusion. We have to go there to investigate.” The Shenzhen Disease Prevention and Control Center is more concrete, saying it is abnormal for a community to have so many cancer patients in such a short period of time. The national incidence of leukemia is only three in 10,000. Since most cancer patients have lived in Gangwan community for more than 10 years, medical experts from the Disease Prevention and Control Center say there may be so many cancer patients in Guangwan community due to environmental degradation and lifestyle. The monitors’ results Zhang Jun, director of the Environmental Monitoring Station on duty in Gangwan community, told Nanfang Daily: “We have analyzed some data and the results proved that the air (in Gangwan) is quite abnormal, especially the contents of SO2.” However, he emphasized that the data was only a preliminary assessment that needed expert approval. At present, the monitoring systems cannot monitor dioxins. Proposal from the People’s Congress On September 20, 11 members of the Shenzhen People’s Congress submitted a proposal to the government or improving the environment in Gangwan community and surrounding regions. They claimed that in 2002 the minimum pollution index in the community stood at 18 and the maximum reached 165. There were only 144 days with a pollution index below 50. The major pollutants found in the regions’ air were CO2, nitrogen oxides, dust and waste. The members pointed out that the reason for the degraded environment in Gangwan community was due to the incompatibility of government decisions. At the beginning of the 1980s, the city planned to build a “polluted area” in Nanshan District, where Guangwan community is located, installing powerhouses and other factories the region. However, in the 1990s, the city decided to build more residence compounds in the district, which resulted in a clash of factories and living communities. Furthermore, they suggested the government carry out a thorough investigation of the environmental situation in Nanshan District and devise a plan to either relocate the factories or reduce harmful wastes. They also urged the government to work with other departments, such as environmental protection, finance, land resources and energy, to conduct a comprehensive management to address the problem. |