XN000022-1992-05-13 — Page 44

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1992

MAKE

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE PURPOSE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS TO THE PUBLIC MORE AWARE OF THE GENERAL AIR QUALITY LEVELS TO WHICH THEY MIGHT BE EXPOSED.

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, AS WELL AS NATURAL SOURCES.

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

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

HIGH LEVELS OF S02 CAUSE RESPIRATORY ILLNESS, REDUCE LUNG. FUNCTION AND INCREASE MORTALITY RATE.

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

TSP ACTS SYNERGISTICALLY WITH OTHER GASEOUS POLLUTANTS AND RSP CAUSES RESPIRATORY ILLNESS, REDUCES LUNG FUNCTION AND MORE FORMS OF RSP MAY CAUSE CANCER.

THE MONG KOK, CENTRAL/WESTERN AND KWAI CHUNG STATIONS BROADLY REPRESENT AIR QUALITY RESPECTIVELY AT LOCATIONS CLOSE TO ROAD TRAFFIC IN BUILT-UP URBAN DISTRICT, COMBINED COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS, AND DISTRICTS CLOSE TO INDUSTRIAL AREAS.

CURRENTLY THE EPD OPERATES A TOTAL OF 11 FIXED AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS, INCLUDING THE THREE MENTIONED ABOVE.

PO, TSIM

ΡΟ AND SHA

THE OTHER EIGHT STATIONS ARE AT KWUN TONG, SHAM SHUI SHA TSUI, TSEUNG KWAN O, TSUEN WAN, HONG KONG SOUTH, TAI TIN.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

AN ILLUSTRATION SHOWING THE SUMMARY AIR QUALITY REPORT FOR APRIL THIS YEAR WILL BE FAXED.

ENQUIRIES MAY BE DIRECTED TO A PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, MR RAYMOND LEUNG, ON TEL. 810 3049.

/HONG KONG

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