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The following is the question raised by Hon Emily Lau Wai-hing and the written reply given by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Gordon Siu, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question :

It is reported that according to a medical survey, primary school students studying in industrial or old urban areas have chances of developing respiratory diseases which are two to three times higher than the chances of those studying in new towns. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

(a) whether they know the details of the survey;

(b) whether the Administration has conducted any survey on the chances of primary school students studying in industrial or old urban areas developing respiratory diseases; if so, the details of that; and

(c) of the measures the Administration has in place to mitigate the effects of air pollution on the health of primary school students studying in such areas?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) The reports may be referring to a study conducted by the Department of Community and Family Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong between March 1995 and April 1996. The study, which was sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund, attempted to look into the effects of air pollution on health of school children aged between eight and 12 in Hong Kong. Students from 12 primary schools from Kwun Tong, Mongkok and Shatin were chosen for the study. Kwun Tong was included as it is a district with a combination of industrial and vehicle pollution; Mongkok is affected mainly from vehicle emissions whereas the Shatin district was chosen as the control district for its relatively clean air. The study looked into the relationship between air pollution levels and various parameters including self-reported respiratory symptoms, lung function, levels of immune biomarkers and cardio-pulmonary fitness among students in the three districts.

A gradient was observed for most of the health indicators among the three districts with Kwun Tong having the worst performance and Shatin having the best performance after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The study concluded that air quality seemed to be an important factor for many of the health indicators and improvements in air quality would likely bring about a reduction in respiratory morbidity in the population.

(b) The Administration has not conducted surveys on the chances of a particular age group contracting respiratory diseases at the district level. Between 1989 and 1992, the University of Hong Kong conducted a two-phase study to measure the impact on the respiratory health of primary school children of a regulation to reduce sulphur levels in industrial fuel oil implemented in 1990. Surveys were carried out to compare the health of school children in Kwai Tsing and Southern districts before and after implementation of the regulation. The results showed that self-reported symptoms such as cough, sore throat and wheezing and levels of bronchial hyper-responsiveness had decreased in the relatively more polluted Kwai Tsing district after implementation of the regulation.

In 1996, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) commissioned the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct territory-wide studies to assess the acute health effects due to ambient air pollution on the Hong Kong community. To establish the validity of the observations from this survey, EPD subsequently commissioned the University of Hong Kong to update and conduct further studies covering a longer period. The data being developed through these surveys is beginning to reveal positive associations between daily hospital admissions and respiratory and cardiovascular ailment and the various measured air pollutant levels. EPD intends to continue and to develop these studies so that a reliable basis for directing new pollution control programmes can be established.

(c) Measures aimed at reducing both general and street-level air pollution are already being implemented. Such measures are equally effective in protecting the health of both the population at large and susceptible groups such as children. Over the last decade controls have been tightened on emissions from all sources. Among other things low sulphur industrial and automotive diesel fuel has been introduced; major industrial and other stationary sources of air pollution have been placed under control through a licensing scheme; and regulations to control open burning and construction dust have been introduced. Total emissions of sulphur dioxide have reduced from 190,000 tonnes in 1993 to 80,000 tonnes in 1997, and for nitrogen dioxide have reduced from 230,000 tonnes in 1993 to 123,000 tonnes in 1997. But, given Hong Kong's continued intensive development and population growth, transport emissions have been increasing and are being trapped by more high rise buildings. Fresh approaches are needed to sustain the development of the city without undermining the environment or the health of citizens. Within the context of the Comprehensive Transport Study and the Railway Development Study, strategic environmental impact assessments are being carried out to ensure that decisions on future transport patterns will support environmental objectives as well as mobility requirements. In parallel the administration will continue to develop programmes of activities to reduce the environmental impact of our transport system.

End/Wednesday, April 21, 1999

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