XN000022-1988-03-10 — Page 11

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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.

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