(a)
(b)
· 69.
whether the water piped into the territory from the Dongjiang River contains a substance which may cause osteocarcinoma; and
why the Water Supplies Department has refused, for fear of arousing panic among the public, to provide the media with data on the quality of water from the Dongjiang River before being processed by the territory's water treatment works?
F
Reply:
Mr President,
(a)
(b)
From our analysis, there is no evidence to suggest that the raw water from Dongjiang River contains substances at levels likely to cause osteocarcinoma. Furthermore, the quality of our treated water complies with the Guideline Values of Drinking Water Quality of the World Health Organisation, and hence is completely safe to drink.
נין:
There was no question of withholding data on the quality of Dongjiang River water in order to avoid public panic. In fact, such data has been provided on various occasions upon request, including members of this council.
The amount of data on the tests to control the quality of both raw and potable water, is very considerable. Each year, over 600,000 tests are carried out on raw and treated water, and each test result is intended to be understood by a trained person. Improper interpretation by a non- scientific writer could convey the wrong message to the public at large.
.
Hel
We will review information channels to ensure that the laboratory testing procedures, the internal standards of compliance, and the correct interpretation of results are available to the public upon request.
End/Wednesday, July 19, 1995
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