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In view of public concern on the water supply to Kai Ching Estate, the Housing Department (HD), the Department of Health (DH) and the Water Supplies Department (WSD) have been actively following up on the case in the last few days, a Government spokesman said today (July 9).
All the results of the tests on drinking water samples from Kai Ching Estate commissioned by the HD and the WSD indicated that the lead content met the standard of the World Health Organization (WHO), the spokesman said.
But as lead was found in soldering materials used in two water pipe joints in Kai Ching Estate - an act which violated both the relevant legislation on water supply and the housing contract, the HD would replace all such parts systematically.
According to the DH, from the health perspective, long term exposure to lead, which when accumulated in large amounts in the body, may result in anaemia, increased blood pressure, brain and kidney damage. The World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality has set a provisional guideline value of not more than 10 micrograms per litre for lead.
The test results of tap water samples collected so far from various units and blocks of Kai Ching Estate are found to comply with the WHO's guideline value for lead, meaning that lifetime consumption does not represent any significant risk to health. Exposure to this level of lead in drinking water is also unlikely to cause acute toxicity.
Notwithstanding the above, infants and young children who are under six years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers are recommended to take additional precautions, including flushing each faucet individually before using the water for drinking or cooking. It will also be preferable to use alternative source of drinking water.
With regard to the replacement of parts, priority will be accorded to families with children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers. If these families have concerns, the authorities will provide them with alternative supply of drinking water before the replacement work is completed.
To further alleviate residents' concern, the authorities will extend the drinking water sampling tests for Kai Ching Estate systematically to ensure that the water quality is in compliance with WHO standards, the spokesman said.
Ends/Thursday, July 9, 2015
Issued at HKT 21:12
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