6
Wednesday, August 16, 1972
"PHYTO-PLANKTON" ENCOUNTERED BY SWIMMERS?
The Acting Director of Urban Services, the Hon. A.P. Richardson,
today explained that the most likely cause of an oil like substance encountered
by swimmers earlier this month was probably "phyto-plankton".
Speaking in the Legislative Council in reply to a question by the
Hon. Wilfred Wong, he said that these brown-coloured floating plant organisms
contained natural oils and were quite common in Hong Kong waters at this time
of the year.
Mr. Richardson emphasised that the substance is quite harmless and
although it may cling to one's body, it is not too difficult to remove.
He said that his department had no knowledge of "oil saturated mud"
floating in Repulse Bay on August 6, but there had been a fair amount of this
phyto-plankton in the area over the past week or so.
J
F
I
©
t
M