HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
香港立法局
19 July 1989
一九八九年七月十九日
117
noise level in certain working environment which at its worst may lead to a
progressive loss of hearing, or at least as a start, may result in an indirect impact on health through the following:
(a) production of abnormal blood pressure;
(b) loss of appetite;
(c) upset of metabolism; and
(d) insomnia.
I would like to address another issue air pollution and health. It is accepted without doubt that the increased incidence of respiratory diseases is directly attributed to air pollution. In the United Kingdom, for example, the incidence of chronic bronchitis is highest in industrial cities where excessive air pollution is the cause of smog production through rapid development of industrialization.
This White Paper acknowledges that the high level of air pollution the people of Hong Kong is constantly exposed to is the result of industrial smoke and motor vehicles emissions, and has outlined plans to improve these conditions. Yet there are a few issues, which though minor at their face values, may produce vast disturbances to health and should be actually addressed:
(a) Passive smoking as an element which is deleterious to health. Whilst it is accepted that "smoking is hazardous to health", passive smoking in an enclosed environment is just as dangerous if not only socially unacceptable. Statistics have shown that similar hazards to health are found in passive as well as active smokers. In this regard, urgent consideration should be given to implementing the recommendations of the Council on Smoking Health.
(b) Legionnaire's disease or "sick building syndrome". This particular syndrome has not been addressed. This is a silent killer, presently like a "flu" or "pneumonia", produced by rod-shaped bacteria known as "legionnaire pneumophilia". It is most common in an air-conditioning system that uses water sprays in its cooling towers. Ironically too, it is through these centralized closed air-conditioning system that rapid spread of such disease from office to office, ward to ward and so on may ensue, again in a working environment.