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visually obvious than if the discharge is under the chassis, but is considered safer and more efficient for this type of vehicle.
All refuse collection vehicles are subject to periodical and regular inspection by the Electrical & Mechanical Workshop at an interval of 8 weeks. The regular inspection includes checks on the engine and the exhaust system. Transport Section staff, especially the drivers and other departmental staff who are associated with the refuse collection work, are under standing instructions to be on the lookout for any irregular or excessive emission of fumes from refuse collection vehicles. When excessive emission of smoke is found, the vehicles are immediately adjusted or sent to the Electrical & Mechanical Workshop for inspection and adjustment.
DR. WONG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I think the answer given by Dr. HUANG is slightly different from my question. The main point of my question is how to control or minimize pollution and not a question of whether the exhaust pipe is on top of the vehicle or under the vehicle. I think most U.S.D. vehicles are discharging a lot of fumes, that is my main question.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, I do not think the answer is different from the question. As a matter of fact, all the fumes of the refuse collection vehicles are not necessarily worse than that of other lorries and buses. So the control of this would mean the control of all vehicles and is not applied to our U.S.D. vehicles only. So when I answered the question, I said every 8th week we send the vehicles for inspection by the Electrical and Mechanical Workshop and, as far as I understand, though other public vehicles are not necessarily checked even for a period of a year, I can assure him that the fumes by refuse collection vehicles are not worse than that of other lorries and buses.
MR. LO TAK-SHING (in English): Is it illegal for these vehicles to emit black smoke?
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -What I have said about fumes, the exhaust may be black fumes, may not be black fumes and this may or may not be illegal, I am not in a position to answer that. If it is black fumes, it may be illegal. But we are talking about exhaust, every car has an exhaust.
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MR. LO TAK-SHING (in English): -Well, Dr. WONG did refer to black smoke and I hope you will confirm that if it is the question of black smoke that is being emitted by our vehicles and in that it is illegal, he will not use as justification that an unlawful act is also committed by other people.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -I think that if the authority concerned finds that our vehicles are illegal, they will take necessary actions.
(4) MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN asked the following question (in English):-
(a) What steps are taken to prevent buildings in the Urban area from having a problem of rodent infestation?
(b) Are dead rodents collected from U.S.D. street rat-bins or other places examined regularly to detect the presence of disease?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):
Mr. Chairman, the main steps taken to prevent buildings in the Urban Area from having a problem of rodent infestation are in the form of advice to occupiers and owners of property. In particular, district rodent-control field staff, in the course of their daily duties, are required to render advice whenever it is either requested or appears necessary. In addition to these routine measures, the department's Health Education Section issues an annual press release (in Chinese and English) on anti-rodent measures. Measures to control rodent infestation in buildings in the Urban Area include the daily regular use of rodenticides in 'block control' operations, and also the trapping of rodents.
Dead rodents are examined regularly for plague by staff of the Medical and Health Department Institute of Pathology. These include rodents collected from: (1) public rat-bins in specially selected localities (i.e. where plague might enter Hong Kong if the disease were to occur here), (2) aboard vessels in port, and (3) within the curtilage of Hong Kong Airport. Staff are also required to send for
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visually obvious than if the discharge is under the chassis, but is considered safer and more efficient for this type of vehicle.
All refuse collection vehicles are subject to periodical and regular inspection by the Electrical & Mechanical Work- shop at an interval of 8 weeks. The regular inspection includes checks on the engine and the exhaust system. Transport Section staff, especially the drivers and other de- partmental staff who are associated with the refuse collection work, are under standing instructions to be on the lookout for any irregular or excessive emission of fumes from refuse collection vehicles. When excessive emission of smoke is found, the vehicles are immediately adjusted or sent to the Electrical & Mechanical Workshop for inspection and adjustment.
DR. WONG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I think the answer given by Dr. HUANG is slightly different from my question. The main point of my question is how to control or minimize pollution and not a question of whether the exchaust pipe is on top of the vehicle or under the vehicle. I think most U.S.D. vehicles are discharging a lot of fumes, that is my main question.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, I do not think the answer is different from the question. As a matter of fact, all the fumes of the refuse collection vehicles are not necessarily worse than that of other lorries and buses. So the control of this would mean the control of all vehicles and is not applied to our U.S.D. vehicles only. So when I answered the question, I said every 8th week we send the vehicles for inspection by the Electrical and Mechanical Workshop and, as far as I understand, though other public vehicles are not necessarily checked even for a period of a year, I can assure him that the fumes by refuse collection vehicles are not worse than that of other lorries and buses.
MR. LO TAK-SHING (in English): Is it illegal for these vehicles to emit black smoke?
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -What I have said about fumes, the exhaust may be black fumes, may not be black fumes and this may or may not be illegal, I am not in a position to answer that. If it is black fumes, it may be illegal. But we are talking about exhaust, every car has an exhaust.
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MR. LO TAK-SHING (in English): -Well, Dr. WONG did refer to black smoke and I hope you will confirm that if it is the question of black smoke that is being emitted by our vehicles and in that it is illegal, he will not use as justification that a unlawful act is also com- mitted by other people.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -I think that if the authority con- cerned finds that our vehicles are illegal, they will take necessary actions.
(4) MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN asked the following question (in English):-
(a) What steps are taken to prevent buildings in the Urban
area from having a problem of rodent infestation?
(b) Are dead rodents collected from U.S.D. street rat-bins or other places examined regularly to detect the presence of disease?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT Committee, replied as follows (in Cantonese):
Mr. Chairman, the main steps taken to prevent buildings in the Urban Area from having a problem of rodent infesta- tion are in the form of advice to occupiers and owners of property. In particular, district rodent-control field staff, in the course of their daily duties, are required to render advice whenever it is either requested or appears necessary. In addition to these routine measures, the department's Health Education Section issues an annual press release (in Chinese and English) on anti-rodent measures. Measures to control rodent infestation in buildings in the Urban Area include the daily regular use of rodenticides in 'block control' operations, and also the trapping of rodents.
Dead rodents are examined regularly for plague by staff of the Medical and Health Department Institute of Pathology. These include rodents collected from: (1) public rat-bins in specially selected localities (ie. where plague might enter Hong Kong if the disease were to occur here), (2) aboard vessels in port, and (3) within the curtilage of Hong Kong Airport. Staff are also required to send for
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