2015 incidents of lead in drinking water in Hong Kong: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 10:52, 25 September 2015
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Lead contamination in Hong Kong drinking water refers to an ongoing scandal that began in June 2015 when the Democratic Party announced that testing of drinking water at Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon revealed lead contamination.[1] The Hong Kong Housing Authority subsequently confirmed that the levels of lead exceeded the standard established by the World Health Organisation.[1] Lead is a toxin that can cause serious and irreversible health damage. Children are especially vulnerable to its effects.
Since the initial discovery at Kai Tak, lead contamination of drinking water has been found at numerous other housing estates, schools, and public buildings across Hong Kong.
Lead standards
Hong Kong standards limit the acceptable lead content of drinking water to 10 micrograms of lead per litre, the same standard as Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. For comparison, the United States allows 15 micrograms per litre while Mainland China allows 50 micrograms of per litre.[2]
Cause
According to the Water Supplies Department, the contamination is caused by illegal soldering at the joints of water pipes.
Of the 11 public rental housing estates with lead in water identified as of 10 September 2015, six were built by Yau Lee Construction Company, two by China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited, two by Paul Y Engineering, and one by Shui On Group.[3] However, the plumbing in public estates may be built by a subcontractor. In the case of Kai Ching Estate where the scandal began, the plumbing contractor was the Ho Biu Kei Construction & Engineering Company. The head of Ho Biu Kei responded that the construction materials he used were approved by the authorities, and that his company was only responsible for the plumbing on the outside of the building, not the plumbing in the flats.[1] The interior plumbing comprises prefabricated components manufactured by Shenzhen Hailong Construction Products Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering.[1]
On 25 September 2015 the Task Force on Excessive Lead in Drinking Water set up by the government released a preliminary finding that solder joints are the cause of the lead contamination, as previously asserted by the Water Supplies Department. The task force also found that copper alloy fittings leach lead, but not to an excessive degree. Elemental analysis of solder from Kai Ching Estate found it comprises up to 41 per cent lead, or 585 times the British Standard of 0.07 per cent.[4]
Contaminated buildings
Samples of water contaminated with lead have been identified at a range of public and private buildings of various ages, but especially in public housing estates constructed in the past decade. New contamination cases across the city are revealed on a daily basis as individual buildings and institutions commission water testing at their premises. The government is conducting testing at many schools and public estates.
Housing
Lead has been found in the water of numerous public housing estates, particularly those opened in the past decade. In addition to Kai Ching Estate, these include Kwai Luen Estate (Kwai Chung), Hung Hom Estate, Tung Wui Estate (Wong Tai Sin), Choi Fook Estate (Choi Wan), Un Chau Estate (Sham Shui Po), Ching Ho Estate (Sheung Shui), Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, and four other as of 10 September 2015.[5] As of the same date, 64 other public housing developments were tested but no excessive lead contamination found. This does not necessarily clear these estates of the possibility of contamination, as the number of tests completed to date varies in each location and the testing has not been exhaustive of each housing block or drinking water tap.[3]
Lead contamination has also affected private residential developments. Property management company Savills Guardian conducted testing at The Caldecott, a luxury estate in Kowloon Tong built in 2004, and found 19 micrograms of lead per litre of water sourced from a kitchen tap.[6] A water sample from The Austin, a newly built luxury development atop Austin Station, was found to contain 41 micrograms of lead per litre.[7]
Schools
Lead contamination has been discovered at numerous schools.
The Baptist Rainbow Primary School in Wong Tai Sin announced the discovery of water contamination on 31 August 2015. It marked the first time that lead contamination had been found in an older building. The school was built in 1984.[8]
The English Schools Foundation collected more than 300 water samples for testing from its 21 schools across Hong Kong. It announced in September 2015 that samples from four schools (King George V School, Sha Tin College, South Island School, and West Island School) contained elevated levels of lead. The ESF subsequently shut off the sources of contaminated water.[9]
Reaction
The lead contamination of water has resulted in a public outcry and intense media scrutiny.
On 13 August, the government appointed a Commission of Inquiry into Excess Lead Found in Drinking Water.[10]
On 20 August 2015, the Housing Authority's tender committee announced that it would delay the tendering process for construction of four new public housing estates. Some of the contractors bidding on these developments were blamed for causing lead contamination of water in previous estates they had built.[11]
In September 2015, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) opened an investigation into whether corruption or abuse of power contributed to the incidence of lead contamination. The case was submitted to the ICAC by Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood and People Power in July.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d Lo, Arthur (13 July 2015). "Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern". Hong Kong Free Press.
- ^ Westcott, Ben; Chan, Samuel (16 July 2015). "Hong Kong's lead-in-drinking-water crisis: everything you need to know". South China Morning Post.
- ^ a b "Test results of water samples taken from public rental housing estates" (PDF). Information Services Department. 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Task force announces preliminary findings of investigation into cause of excessive lead content in drinking water". Hong Kong Government. 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Frequently asked questions". Lead in Drinking Water Incidents. Information Services Department. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Lo, Kinling (5 August 2015). "Luxury estate latest fail in excess lead-in-water saga". The Standard.
- ^ Tsang, Emily; Siu, Phila; Cheung, Elizabeth (19 July 2015). "Blood tests for residents in Hong Kong tainted water scare 'normal'". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Cheng, Kris (1 September 2015). "Lead contamination in water found at primary school built 32 years ago". Hong Kong Free Press.
- ^ "Water samples from ESF schools have high lead content". Hong Kong Economic Journal. 14 September 2015.
- ^ "Commission of Inquiry into Excess Lead Found in Drinking Water appointed". Information Services Department. 13 August 2015.
- ^ Chan, Gloria (21 August 2015). "Tendering process on hold for four Hong Kong housing estates amid lead-in-water crisis". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Kilpatrick, Ryan (22 September 2015). "Corruption watchdog starts probe into lead in water scandal". Hong Kong Free Press.