XN000022-1990-02-19 — Page 3

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1990

"NO

REVIEW

WOULD

HEROIN

MIXTURE,

BE COMPLETE BLOCKS THE

OF THIS SECTION'S ACTIVITIES WITHOUT THE MENTION OF THE SINGLE CASE SEIZURE OF 1,199 HEROIN

418

OF KILOGRAMS IN SEPTEMBER 1989 TOTALLING SECOND LARGEST SEIZURE IN THE WORLD,

1989

中平

HE SAID.

WITH

LINE WITH

ONLY TWO

TURNING TO SOFT DRUGS, MR LEE POINTED OUT THAT IN

MANDRAX SEIZURES,

HAD ALMOST DISAPPEARED METHAQUALONE-RELATED DEATHS REPORTED LAST YEAR, COMPARED WITH EIGHT IN 1988 AND 11 IN 1987.

"ONLY A SINGLE METHAQUALONE POSITIVE WAS DETECTED URINE SAMPLES TESTED FOR THIS DRUG,

FROM 1,079

** HE SAID.

SYRUP

ONE

MR LEE NOTED THAT THERE MIGHT BE INDICATIONS THAT COUGH

(PART DEXTROMETHORPHAN AND TABLETS CONTAINING THE ANTITUSSIVE POISON) WERE BEING EXPLOITED ON THE STREETS AS A SUBSTANCE OF ABUSE.

DEXTROMETHORPHAN "THE FIRST FATAL CASE WAS CONFIRMED INVOLVING

THE AND ONE OTHER CASE CONTAINED THIS DRUG TOGETHER WITH MORPHINE. AT SAME TIME, 26 SEIZURES OF THE DRUG WERE REPORTED IN 1989 COMPARED WITH A YELLOW 13 IN 1988. THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF THE DRUG IS ROMILAR, DRAGEE," HE SAID.

DIVISION, MR

TURNING TO THE ANALYTICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LEE SAID THIS OPERATIONAL ARM OF THE LABORATORY CONTINUED TO BE ACTIVE IN THE AREA OF WORK CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING.

"ABOUT

CARRIED

VERY

DURING

THE TOXIC AIR ORGANIC

OUT 60,000 TESTS ON AIR SAMPLES WERE 1989, AN INCREASE OF 52 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR. MAJORITY OF THESE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED FOR ESTIMATION OF

PCB'S, CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS

ELEMENTS, SOLVENT VAPOURS, HALOGENENATED HYDROCARBONS, ETC," HE SAID.

PARTICLES OF

TRACE

WORKS

"FINAL AIR TESTS WERE ALSO PERFORMED AT ASBESTOS REMOVAL CARRIED OUT UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTRACT WITH A VIEW TO ENSURING THAT THE SITES WERE SAFE FOR RE-OCCUPATION," HE ADDED.

FROM MARINE POLLUTION MR LEE POINTED OUT THAT WORK ARISING

DISCHARGES INCIDENTS CAUSED BY OIL SPILLS AND UNAUTHORISED INDUSTRIAL

RESULT OF A BIG WENT UP BY

PER CENT OVER 1988 FIGURES, AS A 90 INCREASE IN THE PROSECUTION OF SUCH OFFENCES UNDER THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE.

THE

WITH THE STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TESTING OF FOOD, LABORATORY CARRIED OUT MORE THAN 2,800 TESTS FOR PESTICIDE RESIDUES ON THE VEGETABLES, MR LEE SAID, POINTING OUT THAT METHAMIDOPHOS REMAINED PRIME CAUSE OF SEVERAL OUTBREAKS OF VEGETABLE POISONING DURING 1989.

"OF THE 108 SAMPLES OF VEGETABLES THAT WERE FOUND ORGANO-PHOSPHOROUS PESTICIDES, 60 CONTAINED METHAMIDOPHOS,

IN

ΤΟ ADDITION

EXAMINATION THE REGULAR

OF

ΤΟ CONTAIN

HE SAID.

COMMODITIES OF SPIRITS, BEER

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE SUCH AS TOBACCO, AND COSMETICS, THE LABORATORY HAD SET UP A METROLOGY UNIT TO ASSIST IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURE ORDINANCE, MR LEE SAID.

/"THE LABORATORY