XN000022-1992-06-18 — Page 9

THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1992

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.

THESE AIR POLLUTANTS MAINLY COME FROM COMBUSTION OF FUEL INDUSTRIAL PLANTS AND MOTOR VEHICLES ENGINES.

IN

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 RESPECTIVELY.

ARE 350, 150, 260 AND 180 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER

RECOGNISED

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

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

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

TSP ACTS SYNERGISTICALLY WITH OTHER GASEOUS POLLUTANTS AND RSP CAUSES RESPIRATORY ILLNESS, REDUCES LUNG FUNCTION AND SOME 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 BUILD-UP URBAN DISTRICT; COMBINED COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS AND DISTRICT CLOSE TO INDUSTRIAL AREAS.

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

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

NOTE TO EDITORS:

FURTHER ENQUIRY CAN BE DIRECTED TO THE PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER MR RAYMOND LEUNG ON TEL 810 3049.

/HONG KONG

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