Air pollution in Hong Kong

Air pollution in Hong Kong is considered a serious problem. Visibility is less than eight kilometers for 30% of the year. Cases of asthma and bronchial infections have soared in recent years due to reduced air quality.

Declining regional air quality means visibility has also decreased dramatically. In 2004, low visibility occurred 20 percent of the time, the highest on record, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The number of days in which visibility was less than eight kilometres rose to 102 in 2005 from 40 in 1997. Hong Kong is approaching the record of being the darkest city in the world with the least amount of sunlight hours, just after Edinburgh, Scotland.

The mortality rate from vehicular pollution can be twice as high near heavily travelled roads, based on a study conducted in the Netherlands at residences 50 metres from a main road and 100 metres from a freeway. Since millions of people in Hong Kong live and work in close proximity to busy roads, this presents a major health risk to city residents. The Hong Kong Medical Association estimates that air pollution can exacerbate asthma, impair lung function and raise the risk of cardio-respiratory death by 2 to 3 percent for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of pollutants. Studies by local public health experts have found that these roadside pollution levels are responsible for 90,000 hospital admissions and 2,800 premature deaths every year. In 2009 the Australian government highlighted that air pollution in Hong Kong could exacerbate some medical conditions.

Former Chief Executive Donald Tsang declared that the high life-expectancy of Hong Kong demonstrates that concerns over air quality were not justified.

Professor Anthony Hedley, chair of community medicine at Hong Kong University, said "Tsang is badly advised on current public health issues." Hedley added that air pollution levels in Hong Kong were extremely high, and could affect the lungs, blood vessels and heart.James Tien, former Chairman of the Liberal Party of Hong Kong, retorted, "Can [Tsang] really be confident that, if pollution continues to worsen, will he be able to promise the same life expectancy for our children and for our grandchildren?"

Even as early as 2000, the total negative impact to the Hong Kong Economy, including cardiorespiratory disease was in excess of HK$11.1 billion. Research estimates that the pollution is costing Hong Kong about HK$1 a year in hospital admissions and lost productivity. In addition, about 1,600 deaths a year might be avoided if air quality improves.

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Wikipedia