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The Government today (January 13) released the latest blood test results of citizens affected by the lead in drinking water incident involving two samples from pregnant women living in affected public rental housing estates, all of which showed normal blood lead levels. Details are in the Annex.
Taking reference from medical literature as well as local and overseas experience, the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Department of Health (DH) have derived the reference values of blood lead levels and corresponding actions to be taken in various healthcare settings.
According to established measures, the DH will perform lead exposure assessment for all citizens with borderline raised blood lead levels, and will arrange preliminary developmental assessment if they are children aged under 12. The HA will arrange health evaluation and follow-up for citizens with borderline raised blood lead levels who are children aged 12 or above, adults, pregnant women or lactating women, and arrange ongoing blood lead level monitoring for those persons with borderline raised blood lead levels.
As regards citizens whose blood lead levels had been found to be borderline raised, the HA has, according to established measures under the care plan, continued to monitor their blood lead levels after the first blood test. For children aged below 18 and lactating women, blood lead level testing would be conducted in three months' time, and repeated according to clinical assessment, until their blood lead levels return to normal. For pregnant women, they will receive follow-up blood tests until their blood lead levels return to normal. In the latest batch of review cases covering two samples, both showed normal blood lead levels.
Members of the public may call the DH's hotline (2125 1122) regarding lead and its health effects. Appointments for blood tests for those who belong to the more easily affected groups and are living in affected public rental housing estates can also be made by calling the hotline. As at 5pm today, the DH had arranged 5 864 appointments for blood testing and the hotline had received 7 919 enquiries.
Ends/Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:03
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