Doctors Make Unified Call For More Decisive Action on Hong Kong Air Pollution
For immediate release
20 July, 2010
Today, the Hong Kong medical profession
(The Hong Kong Paediatric Society, The Hong Kong Geriatric Society,
The Hong Kong Asthma Society, The Hong Kong Society of Paediatric Respirology, The Hong Kong Paediatric Nurses Association and Hong Kong Doctors Union)
issued a bold and unprecedented letter to the Government, calling for immediate protection of public health against air pollution.
With tomorrow’s LegCo session on the anti-idling bill being the occasion for the issuance of the letter, the letter pointed out that even though the idling bill is NOT the answer to our pollution problem, it is an “important initial step”. Moreover, “any excessive exemption or delay would just prolong the exposure our people to the health risk caused by vehicular emission.”
In closing, the letter exhorts the government (and all of us) to stop wasting time, “We believe it is time for Legislative Council, the Government and all sectors of the community to show commitment to move on with this legislation and to act on all other pollution combating measures urgently and simultaneously. Our public, adult and children alike, deserve no less.”
Joanne Ooi, CEO of Clean Air Network, said, “We applaud the medical community for raising its voice finally on the air pollution issue. After all, air pollution is more a public health, rather than environmental, crisis than anything else. Next, the outspoken response of the medical community fills a crucial void: Since the Department of Health is not formally involved in air quality policy or warnings, Hong Kong’s biggest public health crisis has been allowed to persist far longer than would have been allowed under the vigilant gaze of medical professionals. It is downright irresponsible that the Government has not called on medical professionals to weigh in on a public health problem which kills more than 1000 people a year.”
The full letter is below.
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Open Letter to the Legislative Council’s Bill Committee on Motor Vehicle Idling ( Fixed Penalty) Bill
20th July 2010
Dear Legislative Council Members,
As representatives of Hong Kong medical practitioners, we feel an imminent need to step up all measures that could bring about an immediate improvement to our air quality. We are worried that the hesitation shown in the recent debate on introducing the legislation to ban idling engine might cause further delay to the passage of this long awaited Bill which is needed to protect our people, be they elderly and children, pedestrians and drivers, from hazardous vehicular emission.
Hong Kong prides itself as a modern city with a reputable record of strong health and medical care. We see it part and parcel of our health care and environmental policy to ensure our people would not suffer from polluting emissions especially those that could have been avoided by progressive environmental policies and collective behavioral changes that commensurate with our state of economic development. Emission from idling engine is but one of these pollutants that could be eliminated if there are sufficient commitment from the Government, Legislative Council and support and consensus from the community at large.
Numerous studies and surveys including a well publicized one done by HKUST recently clearly demonstrated that a very high level of air pollution prevails in our densely populated urban areas where the bulk of our population patronize every day, as they work, live, learn and play. Our people, aged and young in particular, would have no choice but continue to inhale polluting air and are extensively exposed to an increasingly high risk of brain, respiratory and heart diseases as a result of deteriorating air quality.
While we continue to urge the Government to do its utmost in bringing about a full and comprehensive package of measures to further reduce all these pollution hazards from industry, energy and transportation sources, we consider the idling engine bill an important initial step to reduce emission that could have been substantially eliminated. Scientific overseas and Chinese studies have already confirmed traffic emission is a major cause of street level air pollution in busy cities (like Hong Kong). As young children are short and breathing at a lower level close to that of the vehicle exhaustion pipe, “Hong Kong Children”, would be the major victims of street level air pollution. We call for the society, including drivers and passengers, pedestrians and car users, to adopt the norm that vehicles should have their engine switched off when they wait idly on the street, save limited exemptions to suit very restrained operational requirements.
As medical practitioners, we seek to protect the health of all citizens including both people on the street and those behind the driving wheel. We firmly believe that emissions from idling engines are damaging the health of all street users both within and outside the vehicles.
We recognize that to make the scheme a success, we need to bring about collective behavioral changes and the introduction of the long debated Bill is just a small but crucial step towards this goal. Any excessive exemption or delay would just prolong the exposure our people to the health risk caused by vehicular emission.
We believe it is time for Legislative Council, the Government and all sectors of the community to show commitment to move on with this legislation and to act on all other pollution combating measures urgently and simultaneously. Our public, adult and children alike, deserve no less.
Yours faithfully,
The Hong Kong Paediatric Society
The Hong Kong Geriatric Society
The Hong Kong Asthma Society
The Hong Kong Society of Paediatric Respirology
The Hong Kong Paediatric Nurses Association
Hong Kong Doctors Union
Dr. Chan Yee Shing (Paediatrician, Vice-President, Hong Kong Medical Association)
Dr. Chow Chun Bong (Hong Kong Early Childhood Development Research Foundation)
Dr. Kong Ming Hei, Bernard (Geriatrician, President, Hong Kong Geriatric Society)
Dr. Tam, Alfred (Paediatrician, President, Hong Kong Asthma Society)
Dr. Yu Chak Man ( Paediatrician, Immediate past president, Hong Kong Paediatric Society)
Ms. Susanna Lee (President, The Hong Kong Paediatric Nurses Association)
Dr. Henry Yeung Chiu Fat (Paediatrician, President, Hong Kong Doctors Union)
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