XN000022-1992-07-13 — Page 15

LEVELS.

14

MONDAY, JULY 13, 1992

THE WET WEATHER IN THE MONTH ALSO HELPED ΤΟ REDUCE DUSTS

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

MAKE THEY

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 PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

HIGH LEVELS OF S02 CAUSES RESPIRATORY

FUNCTION AND INCREASES MORTALITY RATE.

ILLNESS, REDUCES LUNC

NO2 CAUSES

RESPIRATORY IRRITATION,

INCREASES SUSCEPTIBILITY

TO RESPIRATORY INFECTION AND IMPAIRS LUNG DEVELOPMENT.

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

CURRENTLY THE DEPARTMENT 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, TAI PO AND SHA TIN.

HONG KONG