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The testing of drinking water from 12 kindergartens has been completed and in none of the samples did the lead content exceed the provisional guideline value for lead of 10£gg/L recommended in the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s "Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality", a spokesman for the Education Bureau (EDB) said today (September 14).
The Water Supplies Department assisted the EDB in taking 25 drinking water samples from the kindergartens (two or three samples from each). The kindergartens are listed in the Annex.
"The Government announced on September 1 that it would take drinking water samples from kindergartens and public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools built with Government funding in or after 2005 and test them for lead content. Work started on September 10 and it is expected that the testing of drinking water at the kindergartens and primary and secondary schools concerned will be completed in three months. The test results of drinking water samples from other kindergartens and schools will be announced by the EDB when available," the EDB spokesman said.
The test results available so far have been uploaded to the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/sch-adm/admin/about-sch/reducing-lead-exposure/Test_Results_of_Water_Samples_from_KG_and_Schools_en.pdf) and updates will be made when more test results are available.
The Department of Health (DH) has been in close communication with the EDB to provide, through the Hospital Authority (HA), free blood lead testing for students of affected kindergartens and those members of staff who may be more easily affected, especially pregnant or lactating women.
If the lead content of drinking water in a kindergarten is confirmed to have exceeded the WHO's provisional guideline value, the EDB will issue a letter detailing blood taking arrangements to notify the kindergarten as well as to inform the students' parents and staff. Assistance from the kindergartens will be sought in disseminating information, consolidating student information and parental consent before submitting a blood taking list to the EDB, communicating and organising the visit for blood taking on the day of appointment, as well as notifying parents and staff of blood test results confidentially.
When blood test results are available from the HA, the DH will inform those persons who have received blood tests/their parents via the kindergartens. Those with a blood lead level exceeding the reference value will be informed of the relevant follow up by phone. The DH will take appropriate action, including conducting lead exposure assessments for students and making arrangements for them to undergo preliminary developmental assessment. For female staff who are pregnant or lactating, the HA will follow up with them if their blood lead level is above reference value. Anyone with an elevated blood lead level will have repeated blood tests in a specified period of time.
The Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), after briefing the representatives of the secondary and primary schools concerned on September 11, began works on filter installations on September 12 and will start water lead tests on September 16. The first batch of results will be available by early next week.
To enable such works to be implemented smoothly, a pre-inspection school visit will first be arranged to work out the details and exact locations of the filter installation (approximate five filters per school) with each school principal/representative, so as to immediately provide safe drinking water points for students/teachers pending water lead test arrangements. Both filter installations and water lead tests will be arranged as soon as possible with special schools and primary schools being given priority.
Ends/Monday, September 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:55
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