CAN brings you a new public service announcement about the health dangers of air pollution. Traffic fumes affect our hearts – triggering more heart attacks than drugs, alcohol and cigarettes – and damage the health of our children and the elderly. It is killing 3 people every day and causing 10 times as many indirect deaths. Share this video to help raise awareness about Hong Kong’s biggest public health threat.

Credits:
May Woo – co-producer
Amy Woo – make-up
Tina Hung – production
Chan Yuen Kai – camera crew
Lam Lai Hing — lighting crew
Rent A Pro – lighting equipment
Hamdani Milas — producer, director, cinematographer, editor
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University — venue provider
Starring:
Dr. Yu Chak Man, Aaron
Lee Yuk Keung
Kim Basilio
Samuel Liem Hong Kai
Ngan Wai May Vivian
Chan Fong Ying Erica
and so on
Thanks all for your participation!

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Howard Winn

A recent report by Civic Exchange brings up questions as to why Hong Kong’s roadside air pollution has seen no improvements since “series of stringent measures” were implemented in 1990, especially when government figures paint a picture of dramatically declining pollutant levels.

The report points out that an official figure, which claims that pollutant levels (of SO2, CO, Nitrogen oxides, respiratory suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds) have dropped by “roughly half”, is in fact based on a model and not supported by actual measurement.

The above figure is purely derived from theoretical performance, and was published in a 2007 report alongside empirical data showing there is actually either a flat or an increasing trend in the concentration of pollutants.

However, the government has chosen to address this contradiction implicitly, and to “play up” a figure that doesn’t translate to reality.

Dr Michael Edesess, author of the Civic Exchange report, says there are huge flaws in the government’s model because it “depends on the different sources performing at optimal level”.

He illustrates this by pointing out that a Euro V engine, which supposedly emits 6 times less pollutants than a Euro I engine, can actually produce 20 times as much pollution if maintenance is not up to standard.

This report shows that, as urged by many environmental groups, it is imperative that the government speeds up the process of removing high emission vehicles from the city’s roads by providing a more attractive subsidy scheme for replacements of “dirty vehicles” than it currently does.

To read the full article, please click here.

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K.Y. Cheng

A truck covered in black balloons was driven through Hong Kong Island and Kowloon yesterday to highlight lung damage caused by air pollution. It is part of a campaign by Clean Air Network, which claims more than 5,500 people have died as a result of air pollution in the past five years. The organisation has received 25,000 emails calling on the government to improve air quality. The petition has been passed on to Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah.

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READ: For the first time, the American Heart Association says that air pollution can cause heart attacks

Parents extremely dissatisfied and concerned about Hong Kong air pollution

CAN released the results of its parent survey last week at a press conference led by Dr. Alfred Tam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Asthma Society. For the first time, Chinese media wrote about air pollution as a health problem – a genuine breakthrough in the dialogue about this problem. Some of the damning conclusions of the survey which was conducted in pediatricians’ clinics throughout Hong Kong were:

91% of parents think the current poor air quality threatens their children’s health

81% found it more severe when compared to 3 years ago

31% of the parents surveyed had children with chronic coughs

96% think the government should spend more to clean up the air

Download the full powerpoint of findings here.

Video excerpt & powerpoint from Professor Hedley’s Farewell Speech now online

Buy your ticket for Monday’s Asia Society talk led by CAN CEO, Joanne Ooi

Those of you have signed The Petition for Clean Air are entitled to a lower ticket price of $100. While tickets will be available at the door, we recommend purchasing your ticket now. Click here for full details.

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Dr. Cheung from HK Sanatorium and Hospital explained air pollution in recent years have turned the Spring mist “acidic” which is irritative and hazardous to eyes. Dr. Cheung also mentioned gaseous pollutants have bad impact on eyes; but the situation that pollutants being aggregated in liquid form (mist) and turned acidic to stimulate eyes is even worse.

Dr. Chan from HKUST tested the mist acidity and found that it was pH 4-5. In reference to the acidity of acid rain which is pH 5.6, the recent mist in HK could be defined as “acid mist”. Dr. Chan further explained that denser mist with high water content could “dilute” the acidity where thinner mist with high level of air pollutants would result in higher acidity.

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Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech evaluated marathon race results, weather data and air pollution concentrations for seven major U.S. marathons in cities such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles, where pollution tends to be highest.

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