Smog from China shrouding Hong Kong poses ‘very high’ health risk
Monsoon brings choking pollutants from mainland China, with Tung Chung and Tuen Mun hit worst
Several districts in Hong Kong experienced poor quality air on Sunday that posed a “very high” health risk, as a monsoon from the northeast brought the dreaded smog that has shrouded large parts of the mainland.
By 6.30pm, 11 out of 16 stations in different districts recorded Air Quality Health Index readings ranging from 7 to 10, posing high (7) to very high (8 to 10) health risks, according to the Environmental Protection Department.
The readings reached 10 in Tung Chung and Tuen Mun, 9 in Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan, 8 in Causeway Bay roadside, Central roadside, Sha Tin and Central and Western, and 7 in Kwai Chung, Tai Po, Grass Island and Mong Kok.
In Tung Chung, the level of harmful PM2.5 particulates had reached as high as 141.3 micrograms per cubic metre, almost six times the World Health Organisation’s safety limit of 25 and well above Hong Kong’s limit of 75.
At the roadside monitor in Causeway Bay, the reading hit 116.2, while in Tsuen Wan it reached 113.1.
But the World Air Quality Index, which compiles data from more than 600 cities in over 70 countries, recorded even higher pollution levels across the city, with maximum PM2.5 readings ranging from 126 to 196 yesterday.