HK's Updates: Press Release: Government’s general air quality monitoring stations do not accurately reflect residents’ exposure levels by CAN (26 Jan 2013)

Press Release: Government’s general air quality monitoring stations do not accurately reflect residents’ exposure levels

 

CAN aims to expand community PM2.5 monitoring network

As Hong Kong’s roadside air quality continues to deteriorate, a more thorough understanding of the consequences of this situation is needed. Through cooperation with the Sham Shui Po district council, Clean Air Network (CAN) has conducted an awareness-raising campaign in the district over the past three months, which included monitoring of PM2.5 levels in different locations throughout the district.

A total of twelve locations were chosen, covering shopping centers, markets, housing estates – all spots that are frequented daily by the public. The monitoring equipment was located at the height of an average person so as to accurately gauge the true level of exposure suffered as people breathe in every day.

CAN’s monitoring in Sham Shui Po revealed:

 

1) all twelve monitoring locations had average PM2.5 concentrations higher than the WHO’s recommended guideline (25 micrograms per cubic meter) (See Table 1);

 

2) eight monitoring locations recorded average PM2.5 concentrations that were higher than readings shown at the same time at the Government’s Sham Shui Po air quality monitoring station, with an excess of up to thirty five percent.

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has a total of eleven general monitoring stations, all located 11 – 25 meters above ground. The monitoring station in Sham Shui Po is located 17 meters above ground (on Yen Chow Street), a location much higher than the breathing zone of the district’s residents.

CAN CEO Sum Yin Kwong says, “The results show that the data collected by general monitoring stations does not accurately reflect the air quality situation on the ground, particularly by busy roads and bus stops in congested urban areas like Sham Shui Po. CAN aims to roll out campaigns similar to the one just completed in order to provide residents in all districts in Hong Kong with a better idea of the true levels of pollution they face every day, and to hopefully identify solutions to mitigate the problems. In the long run, we hope that the Government will consider implementing low-emissions zones, limiting the number of high-polluting vehicles that are allowed to enter areas where large number of residents may be impacted.”

Dr. Daniel Ng, president of the Hong Kong Society of Paediatric Respirology, said children and the elderly, as well as those who are chronically ill, are the most vulnerable to the health impacts of particulate pollution, and can suffer a multitude of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as a result of high levels of exposure.

Sham Shui Po district council member Ms. Ng Mei says, “Sham Shui Po district has a lot of elderly, children and adolescents living here, and with their health at risk from the severe levels of air pollution, it is paramount that we devote resources towards protecting them and improving the situation.”

Earlier this year, CAN released a report analyzing the EPD’s air quality monitoring data for 2012. Sham Shui Po’s monitoring stations recorded levels of respirable suspended particulates (PM10) and fine suspended particulates (PM2.5) far above the WHO’s recommended standard, with 115 and 169 exeedances, respectively, of the WHO’s 24-hour average concentration guidelines. In addition, nitrogen dioxide levels at the Sham Shui Po station were the highest of all the general monitoring stations in Hong Kong (only the levels found at roadside monitoring stations were higher), indicating that the air pollution situation in Sham Shui Po is rather serious.

To extend outreach efforts in Sham Shui Po further, in Feburary and March of this year, CAN will work with City University of Hong Kong’s and the Society for Community Organization to invite students within Sham Shui Po to monitor PM2.5 in the neighbourhoods in and around their schools. The aim will be to enhance their understanding of roadside air pollution and its health impacts. This project will also be extended to other districts.

Table 1. Measurement dates, locations and average pollutant concentrations

Dates**	Locations	PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3)
29/10/2012 – 9/11/2012	Cheung Sha Wan Plaza	44
10/12/2012 – 21/12/2012	Shek Kip Mei Wo Tsai Street	42
15/10/2012 – 26/10/2012	Mei Foo Sun Chuen	40
29/10/2012 – 9/11/2012	Un Chau Shopping mall	40
12/11/2012 – 23/11/2012	Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices	40
24/12/2012 – 4/1/2013	Nam Shan Estate	40
10/12/2012 – 21/12/2012	Pak Tin Estate Nam Cheong Street	39
24/12/2012 – 4/1/2013	Tat Chee Avenue	39
12/11/2012 – 23/11/2012	Pei Ho Street Market	38
16/10/2012 – 26/10/2012	Hoi Lai Estate	37
26/11/2012 – 7/12/2012	West Kowloon Corridor Flyover (below)*	34
26/11/2012 – 7/12/2012	Lai On Estate	26

*Monitoring period saw some rain
**Dates where monitoring took place

Table 2. Monitoring data collected by CAN compared to monitoring data collected by the EPD during the same period

	Average PM2.5concentrations (μg/m3collected by CAN	Average PM2.5concentrations (μg/m3collected by EPD	Percentage difference
Shek Kip Mei, Who Chai Street	42	31	35%
Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices	40	35	14%
Nam Shan Estate	40	34	18%
Pak Tin Estate Nam Cheong Street	39	31	26%
Tat Chee Avenue	39	34	15%
Pei Ho Street Market	38	34	12%
West Kowloon Corridor Flyover (below)*	34	26	31%
Lai On Estate	26	25	4%

* Monitoring period saw some rain


For more information:
http://www.hongkongcan.org/eng/2013/01/press-release-governments-general-air-quality-monitoring-stations-do-not-accurately-reflect-residents-exposure-levels/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=press-release-governments-general-air-quality-monitori