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Following is a question raised by the Hon. Cyd Ho and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for the Environment and Food, Mr Paul Tang, in the Legislative Council meeting (December 13):
Question :
Given that the widely-used dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene ("PCE") is a carcinogenic and hazardous ground and air pollutant, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the total quantity of PCE consumed by the dry cleaning industry in the past three years and the expected total consumption in the following three years;
(b) of the respective numbers of dry cleaning machines using
(i) PCE;
(ii) petroleum-based solvents; and
(iii) other solvents;
at present and at the end of each of the past three years, as well as the expected corresponding numbers at the end of each of the next three years;
(c) of the respective percentages of PCE used by dry cleaners last year which was:
(i) recycled;
(ii) released into the atmosphere; and
(iii) washed down the drains along with process water; and
(d) whether it plans to take measures to phase out the use of dry cleaning machines running on PCE as a cleaning solvent; if so, of the relevant details, including the target time frame; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Perchloroethylene (PCE) is the most commonly used dry cleaning agent both locally and overseas. Exposure to high concentrations of PCE may cause skin and eye irritation, dizziness, nausea, headaches and liver and kidney damage. PCE is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a "probable human carcinogen". This means that long-term exposure to high concentrations of PCE may increase the risk of cancer in human bodies but there has not yet been sufficient evidence on this. The annual ambient PCE level recorded in Hong Kong in 1999 was 2.34 £gg/m3, which is significantly lower than the actionable level of 17.9 £gg/m3 recommended by the California Air Resources Board.
Our replies to the specific question are as follows -
(a) We do not have information on the quantity of PCE consumed by the local dry cleaning industry every year. But according to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Productivity Council on behalf of the Environmental Protection Department, the industry consumed 920 tonnes of PCE in 1997. Based on this, we estimate that 2,760 tonnes of PCE was consumed by the industry in the past three years. It is not possible to have any meaningful forecast of the quantity of PCE that will be consumed by the industry in the next three years as this will depend on the number of dry cleaning machines using PCE, the volume of business of the industry and when the proposal to reduce PCE emission from dry cleaning machines is implemented.
(b) The survey mentioned in (a) above identified that there were about 400 dry cleaning machines in 1997 and that all of them used PCE. The Laundry Association of Hong Kong has estimated that the number of machines has remained more or less the same. It is not possible to have any meaningful forecast of the number of dry cleaning machines using PCE, petroleum-based solvents and other solvents in the next three years as this will depend on whether the local dry cleaning industry will opt for non-PCE dry cleaning machines having regard to the proposal to reduce PCE emission from dry cleaning machines.
(c) We estimate that 99 per cent of the PCE used by the dry cleaning machines is recycled and one per cent is released into the atmosphere during each dry cleaning operation. The total percentage of PCE recycled or released into the atmosphere last year depended on the number of such operations conducted but we have no such information. No water is used in a dry cleaning process and therefore no PCE is discharged into the drain. Recycled PCE would eventually be disposed of when it becomes heavily soiled and less effective. Dry cleaning operators are required to dispose of used PCE in accordance with the requirements in the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation.
(d) We do not intend to phase out dry cleaning machines that use PCE but propose to reduce their PCE emission by:
(i) requiring that all new dry cleaning machines sold in Hong Kong to be of the non-vented type with a maximum residual PCE concentration of below 300 ppmv;
(ii) requiring all existing vented machines to be either modified to meet the above standard or replaced with new approved machines within five years from the commencement of the proposed regulation; and
(iii) requiring all existing non-vented machines that do not meet the standard to be modified to meet the standard or replaced with new approved machines within seven years from the commencement of the proposed regulation.
Our plan is to table the proposed regulation within the current legislative session.
End/Wednesday December 13, 2000
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