HK’s Air Pollution Claims 600 Lives

Hong Kong’s roadside air pollution breaks yet another record

Hong Kong Air Pollution. Source: Crazy Hong Kong. Image may be subject to copyright. Click images to enlarge.

At least 594 people have died prematurely in 2010 from the effects of worsening pollution levels in HK, the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health has reported.

“The figure has already surpassed the official death toll of the SARS epidemic, which is believed to have killed 299 people in Hong Kong seven years ago,” a report said.

Roadside pollution set a new record in the March quarter, teh report said.

The University of Hong Kong’s Hedley Environmental Index (HEI) shows that the 2010 air pollution has already cost the region HK$1.3 billion (US$167.54 million). The deadly smog has also been responsible for 4.36 million doctor visits and about  45,000 hospital stays, the report said.

Deadly Smog Over China

Download large image (5 MB, JPEG) — images were  acquired October 8, 2010

A high-pressure weather system over eastern China led to air pollution accumulating in the region for about a week. China’s National Environmental Monitoring Center declared air quality “hazardous” around Beijing and in 11 eastern provinces on October 10, as visibility was reduced to about 100 meters (330 feet). The poor visibility also led to  at least 32 deaths in traffic accident, reports say. “On October 8, 2010, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites captured this natural color view of the smog event in China. The milky white and gray covering the center of the image is smog and fog, while the brighter whites at the left and right edges are clouds.” NASA EO said. “The Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite detected extremely high levels of aerosol particles (lower left image) and sulfur dioxide (lower right) on October 8. The sulfur dioxide typically comes from coal-burning power plants and smelters, and the peak concentrations—6 to 8 Dobson Units—were six to eight times the norm for China and 20 times the norm for the United States. The Aerosol Index indicates the presence of ultraviolet light-absorbing aerosols, most likely smoke from fires and industrial processes. At an AI value of 4, aerosols are so dense that you would have difficulty seeing the midday sun.”

“More than half of China’s total water supply is undrinkable. And nearly a quarter of China’s surface water is considered unsafe even for industrial use. Acid rain is also threatening major cities like Shanghai,” a report said.

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