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Under the influence of the sandstorm from Northern China which moved further southwards with the northeast monsoon in the daytime today (March 22), the air quality in Hong Kong and surrounding areas had significantly deteriorated, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said. The Air Pollution Index (API) readings in Hong Kong reached 200 to 500 (the "severe" level) in the morning and most of the stations recorded the reading of 500 at night except those in western Hong Kong.
As API is derived from the average values of the concentration of pollutants in the air in the past 24 hours, the reading of 500 recorded tonight reflected the concentration of pollutants in the past 24 hours. The EPD spokesman expected that the local API will remain at a high level in the coming few hours. But as the effect of sandstorm subsides gradually, the APIs collected during the recent hours have shown a slight decreasing trend. The spokesman said that if the trend persisted, the local API was expected to descend to a lower level gradually later tomorrow.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the winds will turn southeasterly tomorrow during the day, lasting for one to two days. Under the influence of southeasterly winds, the air quality and visibility in Hong Kong are expected to improve slightly.
When the API exceeds 200, people with heart or respiratory illnesses may experience significant aggravation of their symptoms. There will also be widespread symptoms in the healthy population. These include eye irritation, coughing, phlegm and sore throat.
The EPD urged people to pay special attention to the condition of family members with heart or respiratory illnesses. Patients should seek advice from a medical doctor if they feel uncomfortable. Meanwhile, people should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities. Outdoor workers, especially those with existing heart or respiratory illnesses, should consult their medical doctors if they are in doubt of their health condition. They should inform their employers of their doctors' advice so that suitable arrangement can be worked out with their employers (e.g. limitation of outdoor working time when necessary).
The EPD activated the inter-departmental coordination mechanism with the relevant Government departments after detecting that the Northern China sandstorm might have influence on Hong Kong last night (March 21). They will continue to monitor closely the weather trends as well as variations in air quality and provide the public with the latest information on air quality.
Ends/Monday, March 22, 2010
Issued at HKT 22:22
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