Hong Kong’s Hazy Hazards
Categories: Hong Kong, Lifestyle | Published on December 12, 2012
With a deep breath, residents take in a grey haze that has settled across the city, obscuring tall buildings and distant hills. Air pollution has grown to considerably dire levels over the past decades in Hong Kong, as visitors, expatriates and even long-time locals question whether they should leave.
2004 saw ‘reduced visibility’ reach a record high and Hong Kong citizens attributed the phenomenon to air pollution. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology revealed in a study that this was the case, showing a correlation between haze and high air pollution levels. A study in January this year by Civic Exchange and the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health found that air pollution was responsible for 3,200 deaths annually; a sharp increase from the previous estimate of 1,000 avoidable deaths only five years ago. A month later, lobby group Clean Air Network (CAN) released findings that 43 out of every 100,000 deaths in Hong Kong were caused by air pollution.
The Hong Kong Medical Association listed health risks, stating that air pollution could deteriorate lung function, exacerbate asthma and increase chances of cardio-respiratory death. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD), as part of the HK Government responsible for monitoring air pollution and its effects, released information on the potential health effects caused by specific air pollutants:
Sulphur Dioxide: Impairs respiratory functions, aggravates existing respiratory diseases and can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Nitrogen Oxide: Lowers resistance to respiratory infection such as influenza. Asthmatics are more susceptible to the effects and chronic exposure may lead to structural changes in the lungs.
Carbon monoxide: Reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to body organs and tissues. Those with heart and circulatory problems are likely to be more susceptible to the effects
Ozone and Photochemical Oxidants: Irritate the mucous membranes of the nose, throat and airways, leading to coughs, chest pain and eye irritation. They also increase susceptibility to respiratory infection and can impair normal functioning of the lungs.
Total and Respirable Suspended Particulates: Lead to breathing and respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. They can also aggravate existing respiratory diseases and damages lung tissue.
Lead: Lead particles from vehicular exhausts damage the nervous system, red blood cells & kidneys. It can potentially result in high blood pressure, and decreases coordination and mental abilities. Lack of treatment can permanently damage the brain.
The Hong Kong government has recognised the main contributors to rising air pollution levels in the city; motor vehicles and power plants. The largest source of street-level pollution comes from trucks, buses and light buses, with local lobby group CAN identifying that “Traffic pollution is the biggest issue for public health,” pointing to the emission heavy, diesel-burning vehicles that dominate Hong Kong’s roads. Marine-related air pollution is just as severe, with vessels emitting a total of 35,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide in 2010, an increase of 8.3 percent from the previous year. Ships also brought in 16,900 tonnes of sulphur dioxide in the same year, at an increase of 9.7 percent since 2009.
With rising concerns from health professionals, lobbyists and locals, the HK government has been under constant pressure to address the worsening situation. As a result, Hong Kong became one of three Southeast Asian countries to implement an Air Pollution Index (API) to review levels of air pollution. Information is updated hourly by the EPD to notify the public on levels of air pollution throughout the day. The API also functions as a forecast to prepare the young, elderly and those with heart or respiratory illnesses to take precautions for when air pollution levels will be high. The Index converts levels of air pollutants including: nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and respirable suspended particulates into a number scale. The system works on a range between 0 and 500 with five levels of danger to health:
Air Pollution Index
0-25 – Low
26-50 – Medium
51-100 – High
101-200 – Very High
201-500 – Severe
An API between 0 and 50 requires no action, and levels between 51 and 100 have no immediate health risks to the public, but long-term effects may develop with persistent levels of air pollution. Levels higher than 100 may pose immediate health effects to susceptible individuals. The Air Pollution Index has been criticised, with environmentalists claiming the scale to be out of date and irrelevant to current information and statistics on pollution levels. Professor Wong Tze-wai from the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the Chinese University failed to see reasons behind the API if it didn’t give accurate measurements on the effects to health, warning that it “gives a false sense of security.”
In 2011, the HK government initiated a programme to reduce street-level pollution and succeeded in bringing roadside levels of ‘respirable suspended particulates’ down by 33 percent and nitrogen oxide by 28 percent compared to measurements from 1999. Previous EPD deputy director Carlson Chan cited subsidies of up to HK$700 million (US$90 million) for buses and taxis to upgrade to cleaner technologies and similar schemes since 2007. Hong Kong also set up the ‘Regional Air Quality Network’ to combat air quality in the Pearl River Delta region, who have been working particularly close with Guangdong to reduce regional emissions.
In 2014, the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) will take effect in order to improve air quality and protect public health. Achieving these goals will require enforcement of the ‘Air Pollution Control Ordinance’, an international standard of air quality management, to alleviate excessive emissions in Hong Kong.
The study mentioned earlier from the University of Hong Kong has also set up guidelines for the future via the Hedley Index. Consisting of a range of functions aimed at increasing public awareness of health risks from air pollution, they include:
- A real-time health risk warning meter with five risk categories based on WHO guidelines.
- A real-time pollution map/picture using colours and numbers to show pollution levels at each of the 14 monitoring stations around Hong Kong.
- Monthly and yearly summaries of clear and polluted days based on WHO guidelines.
- A count of both tangible and intangible costs of air pollution.
- Revised approach to calculating health risks: doctor visits, hospital attendance etc.
Hong Kong’s economy, environment and health will suffer greatly if the government fails to control the high levels of air pollution soon. The proposed solutions are steps towards a clearer city, but there is a desperate call to the Hong Kong public to improve doing all they can, whether it’s turning off a light or using public transport more often, to keep pollution levels under control.