XN000022-1992-02-14 — Page 17

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1992

JANUARY AIR QUALITY REPORT RELEASED

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY (FRIDAY) RELEASED AIR QUALITY INFORMATION FOR LAST MONTH AS OBTAINED' AT ITS MONG KOK, CENTRAL/WESTERN AND KWAI CHUNG MONITORING STATIONS.

THIS IS THE SEVENTH MONTHLY ANNOUNCEMENT MADE

DEPARTMENT. SIMILAR ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE MADE REGULARLY.

BY THE

THE REPORTED AIR POLLUTANTS INCLUDE SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2) AND NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO2) WHICH ARE MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY ROUND THE CLOCK, AND TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICULATES (TSP) AND RESPIRABLE SUSPENDED PARTICULATES (RSP) WHICH ARE SAMPLED FOR 24 HOURS EVERY SIX DAYS.

THE GENERAL NITROGEN DIOXIDE LEVEL WITHIN LAST HIGHER THAN DECEMBER LAST YEAR. ONE MEASUREMENT EXCEEDED AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVE AT MONG KOK STATION ON JANUARY 25.

MONTH WAS THE DAILY

DUST MONITORING AT THE CENTRAL/WESTERN STATION WAS SUSPENDED LAST MONTH DUE TO CONSTRUCTION WORKS AT THE MONITORING STATION. DUST LEVELS (TSP AND RSP) IN AIR MEASURED AT THE OTHER TWO STATIONS WITHIN LAST MONTH WERE SIMILAR TO DECEMBER LAST YEAR.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE PURPOSE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS TO MAKE THE PUBLIC MORE AWARE OF THE GENERAL AIR QUALITY LEVELS TO WHICH THEY MIGHT BE EXPOSED, AND THE ATMOSPHERIC AND OTHER FACTORS THAT AFFECT AIR QUALITY.

THESE AIR POLLUTANTS MAINLY COME FROM COMBUSTION OF FUEL IN INDUSTRIAL PLANTS AND MOTOR VEHICLES ENGINES. TSP AND RSP ARE ALSO GENERATED BY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND SOME MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.

THE DAILY HONG KONG AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF SO2 AND NO2, TSP AND RSP ARE 350, 150, 260 AND 180 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METRES RESPECTIVELY.

THESE OBJECTIVES ARE COMPARABLE TO INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED AIR QUALITY STANDARDS RECOMMENDED FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HEALTH THE GENREAL PUBLIC.

OF

HIGH LEVELS OF SO2 CAUSE RESPIRATORY ILLNESS, REDUCE LUNG FUNCTION AND INCREASE MORTALITY RATE.

NO2 CAUSES RESPIRATORY IRRITATION, INCREASES TO RESPIRATORY INFECTION AND IMPAIRS LUNG DEVELOPMENT.

TSP ACTS SYNERGISTICALLY WITH OTHER GASEOUS CAUSES RESPIRATORY ILLNESS AND REDUCES LUNG FUNCTION. RSP MAY CAUSE CANCER.

SUSCEPTIBILITY

POLLUTANTS. RSP SOME FORMS OF

/THE MONG