10
+
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1988
MR HOLMES SAID THERE WAS REASON TO SHELLFISH MIGHT BE PARTLY TO BLAME HEPATITIS OUTBREAK.
SUPPOSE FOR THE SPREAD
THAT
OF
THE
CONTAMINATED PRESENT
SEWAGE AND BACTERIA
POLLUTED BY SHELLFISH WERE KNOWN TO BE WHICH CAME FROM SEWAGE WERE OFTEN FOUND IN THEM.
VERY MUCH EASIER TO RECOGNISE BUT WHERE ONE WAS KNOWN TO
BACTERIA, HE EXPLAINED, WERE THAN THE VIRUS WHICH CAUSED HEPATITIS, EXIST THE OTHER MIGHT ALSO EXIST.
WOULD
EQUIPMENT APART FROM MEASURING HEPATITIS VIRUS, THE NEW
OUT ALSO BE USED TO FIND
WHETHER SHELLFISH COULD BE CLEANED BY KNOWN A PROCESS KEEPING THEM FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IN DISINFECTED WATER ·
YEARS AGO, AS DEPURATION, WHICH THE DEPARTMENT HAD ADVOCATED SEVERAL MR HOLMES SAID.
-
THERE WOULD ALSO BE OTHER USES FOR THE NEW EQUIPMENT.
MR HOLMES SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD INVESTED A LARGE SUM OF MONEY SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS ΤΟ MINIMISE THE RISKS OF POLLUTION AFFECTING SHELLFISH.
IN
THE DEPARTMENT WAS WORKING
WAS NEEDED. HE SAID WOULD ULTIMATELY
HOWEVER, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MUCH MORE
ON NEW SCHEMES WHICH REQUIRE THE INVESTMENT OF $10 BILLION.
I
OUT
OF
A
42 OF
FROM THE DEPARTMENT'S
HE BEACHES
SAID THAT TOTAL
HAD BEEN
THE EXPLAINING
MOST RECENT RESULTS INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE POLLUTION OF BATHING THIS YEAR,
GAZETTED BEACHES RECOMMENDED FIT FOR SWIMMING.
37
LAST YEAR 38 OUT OF 11 WERE RECOMMENDED FIT FOR SWIMMING.
IMPROVING DURING
TWO-THIRDS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES BEACHES WERE ON AN TREND, BUT BEACHES ON HONG KONG ISLAND HAD BEEN BECOMING WORSE THE PAST FIVE YEARS, OWING TO A SHIFT IN POPULATION.
THE MEANWHILE,
DEPARTMENT IS ANALYSING MORE THAN 20,000 BETWEEN POLLUTION AND QUESTIONNAIRES AS PART OF A STUDY ON THE LINK HEALTH RISKS TO SWIMMERS.
HAVE
THIS STUDY HAS INITIALLY SHOWN THAT THE RISKS ARE COMPARATIVELY LOW. HOWEVER, WHEN THE FINDINGS ARE COMPLETE, THE COMMUNITY WILL TO DECIDE HOW MUCH RISK IS ACCEPTABLE, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT.
/11