Slide 2:
Slide 4:
Work with businesses, medical associations and the government, making PSAs and holding
events
Go to schools, senior centers
Publicize research
Reach out to media outlets
Always just trying to spread awareness, get the public to speak up about air pollution
Ultimately concerned with protecting the public’s health
Slide 5:
Air Quality Objectives: a set of standards that tells us whether measurements of air quality
are good or poor.
Air quality in Hong Kong is measured using a system called the Air Pollution Index (API). The
API goes from 0 to 500, but if it goes above 100, it’s best to stay indoors because at that
point, it’s not safe for children and the elderly to be outdoors.
Slide 7
In 2008, Hong Kong’s air pollution caused 1,100 premature deaths (about 3 avoidable deaths
per day).
SOURCE: HKUST
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2006, Hong Kong had just
41
days of healthy,
breathable, air and just
30
days on
which it was safe to
do sport outdoors.
Slide 9
By the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standards, Hong Kong had just 41 days of healthy,
breathable air and just 30 days when it was safe to do sports outdoors.
OUR AIR IS…
3×
1.3×
1.7×
worse than
worse than
worse than
Tokyo
Singapore
New York
triin@flickr
Storm Crypt@flickr
dreamingyakker@flickr
Slide 10
Hong Kong’s air is three times more polluted than New York’s and twice as polluted as
Singapore and London’s.
Slide 11
53 percent of the time, the dominance source of Hong Kong’s air pollution comes from local
sources (not China).
When it comes to health,
the main
problem is
roadside
pollution,
not Guangdong
40%
of roadside
emissions
come from BUSES
Slide 12
When it comes to health, the main problem is roadside
40% of roadside emissions
come from BUSES
pollution,
Slide 13
3-pronged issue in Tuen Mun
Power plants are the largest source of emissions in Hong Kong, and Tuen Mun is greatly
affected by the nearby plant in Lung Kwu Tan. But with the Government’s initiative to raise
natural gas shares from 28% to 50% in order to curb power plant emissions, the threat from
vehicles’ pollution will then become the priority.
What adds to the danger in the district is the air pollution from landfill trucks in the
Northwestern New Territories (NWNT) landfill combined with pollution from the fixed
shipping routes nearby!
Port pollution in Kwai Chung and shipping routes
The world’s third busiest port, Kwai Chung Terminal, and two extremely busy regular shipping
routes pass through Hong Kong to ports in Shenzhen, e.g. Yan Tian port and She Kou port;
they produce huge amounts of SO2.
There were about 635 vessels coming in and out of Hong Kong per day in 2008. Emissions
from these vessels affect all locations along the shipping routes, such as the Southern District,
Tuen Mun, Kwai Chung, Tap Mun, Tai Po, etc.
Cross-border trucks in the Northern New Territories (NNT)
Cross-border traffic is getting heavier because of closer cooperation between Hong Kong and
China; this results in deteriorating air quality in NNT. The cross-border trucks are particularly
responsible for roadside emissions as many of them use cheap but extremely dirty diesel
from mainland China. In Jan-Nov 2009, there were 7 million trucks crossing the border from
the mainland out of the total cross-border traffic volume of 13.5 million!
The Sheung Shui district has relatively cleaner air due to low density development, but for
those who live near the China-Hong Kong highways, air pollution is still very high.
Multiple issues in Tung Chung
The construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the predictable increase in
vehicle emissions from cross-border traffic
Air pollution generated by the Hong Kong International Airport
Power plant emissions from Tuen Mun
Regional pollution from the Pearl River Delta
Nearby shipping routes
Roadside pollution in urban areas
The volume of traffic flow in commercial areas in Hong Kong is staggering, but the threat of
roadside emissions to personal health is always understated by EPD’s roadside air quality
monitoring stations because the current AQOs permit 2-4 times more air pollutants than
WHO recommended levels. A HKUST study showed that the NO2 levels at Hennessey Road,
Wanchai were the highest, while the NO2 levels at Des Voeux Road, Central were the second
highest amongst all the streets in Hong Kong.
In addition, the number of high pollution days was 37-fold higher in Yau Tsim Mong in 2009
than in 2005! Pedestrianization and low emission zone measures (with commercial vehicles
Euro III or below prohibited from entering the zone) have been proposed to reduce
emissions in the district.
With only 3 roadside monitoring stations in Causeway Bay, Central and Yau Tsim Mong, the
roadside pollution situations in Tuen Wan, Lai Chi Kok, Kwun Tong, etc. are always neglected
by the Government despite the fact they are very serious indeed.
There are fourteen air quality monitoring stations in Hong Kong, eleven general stations and
three roadside stations.
Landfill truck pollution in Tseung Kwan O (TKO) and the New Territories
Apart from the odors from the landfill, which are already a considerable nuisance, the huge
number of polluting trucks carrying waste inevitably pass through TKO’s city centre,
producing a lot of roadside pollution in the district. In addition, with the completion of a new
high-rise residential complex, the pollutants within the district are now trapped due to the
canyon effect, making an already problematic situation worse.
One can also easily spot these polluting trucks on Sha Tau Kok Road as this is the main way to
the NWNT Landfill in Ta Kwu Ling; therefore residents in Tuen Mun are also invariably
affected by the NWNT Landfill.
Slide 15
Breathing in vehicle emissions from tailpipes is MUCH MORE dangerous because the
pollutants are more much concentrated
Slide 16
Trucks and buses are the most polluting vehicles on our roads, contributing up to 88 percent
of particulate and 76 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions.
Trucks make up about 6.9 percent of the total vehicles on the road, but contribute 50% of
nitrogen oxide emissions and 55 percent of total particulate matter.
Hong Kong's franchised bus fleet
75% of buses are OLD and
DIRTY (pre-Euro, Euro I and
Euro II standard)*
About 5% of the buses have
adopted Euro IV standard*
Euro V is currently the cleanest diesel engine standard, but only 1% of buses in
Hong Kong are retrofitted to Euro V standard in the meantime (Jan 2010).
Slide 17
75 percent of buses are old and dirty (Euro II standard and below).
About 5% of the buses have adopted Euro IV standard*
Euro V is currently the cleanest diesel engine standard, but only 1% of buses in Hong Kong
are retrofitted to Euro V standard in the meantime (Jan 2010).
Comparison of Pre-Euro and IV
emissions
Slide 18
Old diesel engines (pre-Euro) are 35 times dirtier than engines that meet the most current
standards (Euro V).
Given the current rates of retirement, bus companies will be running polluting fleets (Euro II
standard and below) for the next twenty years.
WHO IS AFFECTED?
EVERYONE.
People living in polluted areas die
2 or 3 years earlier than people
living in cleaner environments.
CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY AND
PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK
are most vulnerable to air
pollution.
CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION CAN LEAD TO A
LIFETIME OF IMPAIRED HEALTH.
Children exposed to air pollution can suffer from:
• obesity
• pneumonia
• weakened immune system
• asthma
• worsened allergies
• wheezing and coughing
Slide 20
Everyone is affected.
People living in polluted areas die 2 or 3 years earlier than people living in cleaner
environments.
CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK are most vulnerable to air
pollution.
CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION CAN LEAD TO A LIFETIME OF IMPAIRED HEALTH.
Children exposed to air pollution can suffer from:
•
pneumonia
•
asthma
•
wheezing and coughing
•
obesity
•
weakened immune system
•
worsened allergies
During days with high air pollution, more people with asthma, chronic lung diseases or heart
diseases seek medical help or are admitted to hospitals because their conditions worsen.
HOW DOES AIR
POLLUTION AFFECT
THE BODY?
Tiny particles and gases move deep into our lungs and bloodstream,
damaging and inflaming lung and vascular tissue:
• Makes it easier for us to get sick
•Over time, air pollution can cause PERMANENT ADVERSE CHANGES
to our lungs, just like smoking.
•A small INCREASE IN LUNG CANCER RISK has also been reported
as a result of living in heavily polluted cities.
Slide 21
How does air pollution affect the body?
Tiny particles and gases move deep into our lungs and bloodstream, damaging and inflaming
lung and vascular tissue:
•
Makes it easier for us to get sick
•
Over time, air pollution can cause PERMANENT ADVERSE CHANGES
to our lungs, just like smoking.
•
A small INCREASE IN LUNG CANCER RISK has also been reported
as a result of living in heavily polluted cities.
HOW DOES AIR
POLLUTION AFFECT
THE BODY?
Tiny particles and gases move deep into our lungs and bloodstream,
damaging and inflaming lung and vascular tissue:
• Makes it easier for us to get sick
•Over time, air pollution can cause PERMANENT ADVERSE CHANGES
to our lungs, just like smoking.
•A small INCREASE IN LUNG CANCER RISK has also been reported
as a result of living in heavily polluted cities.
Slide 22
Pregnant mothers exposed to high levels of roadside pollution had kids with lower IQs.
Developing lungs are more vulnerable: Children breathe faster and tend to spend more time
outdoors being active. Thus, air pollution affects them much more.
The elderly are more likely to get sick as they have weaker natural defenses. Furthermore,
their lungs are no longer very strong and breathing in pollutants causes further damage.
Air pollution’s health impacts on adults include:

Cardiac imbalance

Increased appendicitis risk

Rise in blood pressure

Impaired sense of smell and ability to detect toxic irritants

Increased risk of heart attacks and heart and lung-related diseases

Increased risk of breathing problems during sleep

Increased suicide risk due to asthma caused by air pollution

Reduced vitamin D in women

Decreases fertility and reduces chances of IVF success

Increases risk of low birth weight in newborns and pre-term birth

Increased number of age spots and skin aging

Increased risk of breast cancer

Increased risk of lupus disease symptoms in those with the disease
Hong Kong’s Air
Quality Objectives
The Government is now preparing to revise the
AQOs. To achieve new AQOs, the Government has
proposed a package of 19 abatement measures:
Some critical issues include:
•  Early retirement of heavy polluting vehicles
•  Low emission zones
•  Bus route rationalization
• Energy efficiency measures
Slide 25
The current AQOs have been in use for more than 20 years and, as such, are outdated
references.
The AQOs are non-binding guidelines for 7 air pollutants. They are much looser than the
WHO’s recommended standards for developed nations, thus they fail to adequately protect
public health.
We hope you will support all 19 measures because it is the very least Hong Kong must do to
improve its air quality.
Singapore
• 20% of buses have
adopted newer and
less polluting engines
• implemented
congestion fees
London
• a new hybrid bus fleet
by 2012
• retiring old cabs and
old vans
• mini- buses will have
to pay a daily fee to
enter the city centre
Beijing
• buses run on natural
gas
• bans 1 in 5 cars on
roads
• all trucks banned
from entering the city
Slide 26
In Singapore, 20% of buses have adopted newer and less polluting engines (i.e. Euro IV or
above) while Hong Kong has only about 1%.
By 2012, London will have a new hybrid bus fleet and old cabs will not be given licenses and
old vans and mini- buses will have to pay a daily fee to enter the city centre.
20% of Beijing’s buses run on natural gas while HK does not have any. Beijing adopts a
rigorous clean air policy by banning 1 in 5 cars on roads and forbidding all trucks from
entering the city.
Slide 28