XN000022-1992-01-21 — Page 8

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1992

BUSY YEAR FOR GOVT LAB

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LAST YEAR WAS THE BUSIEST-EVER YEAR FOR THE GOVERNMENT. LABORATORY'S FOOD TESTING SERVICES AND A RECORD NUMBER OF 36,979 TESTS WERE CONDUCTED ON A WIDE RANGE OF FOOD PRODUCTS FOR HEALTH PROTECTION PURPOSES.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE GOVERNMENT CHEMIST, MR LEE NAM SANG

AT A MEET-THE-MEDIA SESSION TODAY (TUESDAY).

REVIEWING THE WORK OF THE LABORATORY, MR LEE SAID ITS WORKLOAD REMAINED AT A SUBSTANTIAL LEVEL THROUGHOUT LAST YEAR.

AND

HE SAID A TOTAL OF 424,564 LABORATORY EXAMINATIONS INVESTIGATIONS WERE UNDERTAKEN, SHOWING A MODEST THREE PER CENT INCREASE OVER THAT FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

ON FOOD TESTING, MR LEE SAID THE OCCASIONAL OUTBREAKS OF FOOD POISONING ARISING FROM CONSUMPTION OF TOXIC PESTICIDE - CONTAMINATED VEGETABLES HAVE GENERATED INCREASED DEMAND ON THE RESOURCES OF THE SERVICE.

APART FROM THE ROUTINE SCREENING TESTS CARRIED OUT BY HEALTH OFFICERS ON IMPORTED VEGETABLES AT THE POINTS OF ENTRY, OVER 2,000. VEGETABLE SAMPLES HAD BEEN REFERRED TO THE LABORATORY FOR MORE THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS DURING THE YEAR.

HE SAID PRESENCE OF EITHER METHAMIDOPHOS OR ISOCARBOPHOS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE BANNED FOR USE IN AGRICULTURE IN HONG KONG, WAS CONFIRMED IN EIGHT PER CENT OF THE SAMPLES TESTED.

THIS, ACCORDING TO MR LEE, HAD ENABLED THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO TAKE APPROPRIATE FOLLOW-UP ACTION IN GOOD TIME.

FOUND

"INDISCRIMINATE USE OF PRESERVATIVES IS STILL FREQUENTLY IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF FOOD, NOTABLY SOME LOCAL DELICACIES SUCH AS PRESERVED FRUITS, DRIED BEANCURD, FISH BALLS, SAUCES, ETC," MR LEE SAID.

OF THE 3,800 SAMPLES EXAMINED, 104 WERE FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED THE PRESERVATIVES IN FOOD REGULATIONS.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE ROUTINE SURVEILLANCE OF OTHER FOOD PRODUCTS FOR HARMFUL ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS HAS CONTINUED UNABATED.

"THE PROBLEM OF THE USE OF HORMONES IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IS STILL WITH US," HE CAUTIONED.

ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, MR LEE SAID SINCE THE PROMOTION OF THE USE OF UNLEADED PETROL IN HONG KONG LAST APRIL, SAMPLES OF LEADED AND UNLEADED PETROL WERE REGULARLY MONITORED FOR THEIR CONTENTS OF LEAD, SULPHUR AND BENZENE RESPECTIVELY.

OF THE 127 SAMPLES OF UNLEADED PETROL TESTED DURING THE NONE WAS FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS.

YEAR,

/HE SAID