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Following is a question by the Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (June 13):
Question:
It is learnt that styrofoam and plastic materials are often used by funeral practitioners for making sacrificial offerings. Toxic gases such as dioxins emitted by burning such offerings not only cause serious environmental pollution but also pose health hazards to the staff in the funeral trade and nearby residents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will:
(a) stipulate that funeral practitioners may only use, for making sacrificial offerings, those materials which will not emit toxic gases when being burnt; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) use instruments to regularly monitor if toxic gases are found in the air in the vicinity of funeral parlours or crematoriums; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) take initiatives to encourage funeral practitioners and the public to be more concerned about environment protection during funeral rituals?
Reply:
Madam President,
The burning of sacrificial offerings is subject to the regulation of the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. Funeral practitioners should make proper arrangements for burning sacrificial offerings to ensure that the emissions will not affect the health of or pose a nuisance to nearby residents. If burning sacrificial offerings cause nuisances or health risks to nearby residents due to improper arrangements, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will issue air pollution abatement notices requiring the practitioners to take steps to mitigate air pollutant emissions or even stop the burning activities.
From 2004 to 2006, the EPD received a total of 34 complaints of air pollution involving the burning of sacrificial offerings in funeral parlours. According to the results of EPD's investigations, none of these cases were found to affect nearby residents' health. Only one of these cases might have posed a nuisance to nearby residents. In this connection, the EPD has issued an air pollution abatement notice and is taking further legal action on that case.
Under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the operation of large premises for burning activities, such as crematoriums, requires a Specified Process Licence. According to the conditions stipulated in the licence, the operators of crematoriums must use the best practical means for controlling the emission of air pollutants, including dioxin, to ensure that neither health hazards nor nuisance will be caused to nearby residents.
The burning of sacrificial offerings in a funeral parlour is a small scale burning activity that does not have significant impact on the overall air quality. Hence, there is no need to install air monitoring instruments in the vicinity. Crematoriums are currently operated by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). The FEHD monitors regularly the emission of pollutants by the crematoriums in compliance with the licence conditions stipulated under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, so as to ensure that neither health hazards nor nuisance is caused to nearby residents.
To encourage the community to use environment-friendly funeral materials for cremation, the FEHD issues guidelines to the funeral trade and bereaved families on the specifications of suitable coffins for cremation. Apart from specifying the size of the coffins and the materials that should not be used in the making of coffins, the guidelines also expressly advise the bereaved families not to place metal or plastic articles inside the coffins, and to remove all metal or plastic ornaments on their surfaces before cremation. Moreover, the FEHD has informed the licensed undertakers of burials about the introduction of an additional licence condition. This condition stipulates that starting from October 1, 2007, an undertaker of burials shall only source or arrange a coffin for cremation for the bereaved families that meets the FEHD's requirements. Repeated violations of this condition by a licensed undertaker of burials will result in licence cancellation.
To promote environmental protection, the FEHD will take the lead in using eco-coffins for cremating unclaimed bodies. The FEHD has invited contractors to supply eco-coffins by open tender, which are expected to come into use later this month.
The EPD will also liaise with the trade and encourage funeral practitioners to be more attentive to protecting the environment when conducting funeral services and avoiding the use of styrofoam and plastic materials for making sacrificial offerings.
Ends/Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:45
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