Reply:
(c)
(d)
Mr President.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
64
whether there is any difference between the readings of benzene content in the air recorded by the air quality monitoring stations set up at the roof-top of buildings and that recorded at the ground level; and
whether consideration will be given to encouraging owners of vehicles which are not equipped with catalytic converters to use leaded petrol so as to reduce the level of carcinogen in the air?
Fuel surveys conducted by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) show that the average benzene content for unleaded petrol is 3.4%, while that for leaded petrol is 3.2%. Both are below the U K standard of 5%.
As I informed this Council on 17 May in answer to another Question on benzene (LegCo Question 5 (Oral)), the current benzene level is about 3- 7 microgrammes per cubic metre. This is extremely low. It is not possible to provide a precise year-by-year prediction of benzene levels. However, since all petrol vehicles imported into Hong Kong after 1992 are required to be fitted with catalytic converters, we expect the ambient benzene level to remain low in the coming years.
Benzene levels at road sides are not significantly different from those recorded at roof-top monitoring sites.
As the difference in benzene content between leaded and unleaded petrol is small, and as lead is itself a major pollutant which could accumulate in human bodies and cause adverse effects on the central nervous systems, especially among children, it is not appropriate to encourage vehicles without catalytic converters to revert back to use leaded petrol.
End/Wednesday, June 7, 1995