WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1984
12
EPA ISSUES REPORT ON HONG KONG AIR QUALITY
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TODAY RELEASED ITS FIRST MAJOR REPORT ON AIR QUALITY IN HONG KONG.
THE REPORT IS A MASSIVE AND DETAILED DOCUMENT WHICH PRESENTS RESULTS FOR 1983-84 FROM THE AGENCY'S NETWORK OF SIX AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS AT KWUN TONG, JUNK BAY, CENTRAL-WESTERN, TSIM SHA TSUI, CAUSEWAY BAY AND SHAM SHUI PO.
THE NETWORK HAD BEEN SET UP 18 MONTHS AGO TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ON AIR POLLUTION LEVELS IN THE TERRITORY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE AGENCY SAID TODAY.
+THIS INFORMATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATUTORY REGULATIONS AND OTHER MEASURES FOR CONTROLLING POLLUTANT EMISSIONS TO THE ATMOSPHERE.
+AIR QUALITY DATA FROM THE EPA MONITORING NETWORK HAVE ALREADY PROVIDED INVALUABLE INPUT FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE, HE SAID.
+THE PRESENT REPORT PROVIDES A FEW SHOCKS. ALTHOUGH LEVELS OF NOXIOUS SULPHUR DIOXIDE GAS ARE GENERALLY LOW AT MOST LOCATIONS, CONSIDERABLY HIGHER VALUES HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN KWUN TONG.
+ IN FACT, LEVELS OF THIS POLLUTANT DURING 1983-84 EXCEEDED THE WELL-RECOGNISED AIR QUALITY STANDARDS IN FORCE IN THE UNITED STATES,
+THE HIGHEST VALUES OBSERVED MAY POSE HEALTH RISKS TO ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE GROUPS SUCH AS THE VERY YOUNG, ELDERLY OR INFIRM.+
THE REPORT SHOWS THAT THESE HIGH SULPHUR DIOXIDE LEVELS ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS. IT ALSO CONCLUDES THAT EVEN HIGHER POLLUTION LEVELS MAY EXIST WITHIN THIS AND SIMILAR INDUSTRIAL AREAS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.
OBSERVED LEVELS OF PARTICULATE MATTER IN HONG KONG ALSO PROVIDE SOME CAUSE FOR CONCERN. THESE ARE GENERALLY HIGH THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY, AND ESPECIALLY SO DURING THE DRY WINTER MONTHS. LEVELS AT TWO STATIONS, KWUN TONG AND CAUSEWAY BAY, EXCEEDED WELL-RECOGNISED AIR QUALITY STANDARDS FOR HEALTH PROTECTION, THESE STANDARDS WERE ALSO APPROACHED AT OTHER STATIONS IN THE NETWORK DURING 1983-84.
EARTH-MOVING, CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AND FUEL-BURNING ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE REPORT AS MAJOR SOURCES OF PARTICULATES IN HONG KONG, ALTHOUGH LARGE CONTRIBUTIONS ALSO ARISE FROM NATURAL BACKGROUND SOURCES SUCH AS SOIL BLOW-OFF AND SEA AEROSOL.
/THE EPA