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Secretary for Transport and Housing and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, announced last week that drinking water samples from a total of 10 housing estates, including nine public rental housing estates completed since 2013 and Kwai Luen Estate Phase 1, would be systematically sampled and tested for lead content. The Housing Department (HD) has already announced the test results of 370 water samples taken from seven of these estates on July 20.
As for the remaining three estates completed since 2013, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) took a total of 362 drinking water samples for lead testing. The testing has now been completed. A spokesman for the HD said today (July 23) that the results were as follows:
* Cheung Lung Wai Estate: 42 samples were taken and all data met the standard of the World Health Organization (WHO);
* Yee Ming Estate: 102 samples were taken and all data met the standard of the WHO;
* Tak Long Estate: 198 samples were taken and all data met the standard of the WHO; and
* Ching Long Shopping Centre: 20 samples were taken and all data met the standard of the WHO.
Professor Cheung further announced on July 20 that the scope of water sampling would be extended to those public housing estates completed in 2011 and 2012. Conducting such tests was simply to ease residents' concerns, not because evidence had been found pointing to unacceptable lead levels in drinking water there.
"We will start work immediately and announce the testing results once available," the spokesman said.
Ends/Thursday, July 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:50
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