“This inspection was conducted after some incidents happened in the neighboring region”, Alex Vong
Following the discovery of excessive lead in Hong Kong tap water, the government’s inspection concluded that the drinking water in local public housing estates is not contaminated.
The 49 samples of tap water collected from the 50 housing estates in the districts of Ilha Verde, Fai Chi Kei, Seac Pai Van and Mong Ha maintained a lead level which was much lower than the standard established by the World Health Organization (WHO), said the authorities.
It was discovered that the tap water in the secondary water suppliers within the above blocks so far contained only a small amount of the chemical – which is detrimental to human bodies if consumed excessively –
ranging from less than one to 3.5 micrograms. According to the WHO guidelines, every 100 milliliters of blood containing 10 micrograms in adult human bodies were regarded as severe, while 5 micrograms were regarded as severe for minors.
“The government targeted the newly built public housing in its first step,” said Alex Vong, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau president. “But we’d like to stress that it’s more of a comprehensive inspection than the discovery of any contamination in the water. This inspection was conducted after some incidents happened in the neighboring region. It’s a precautionary measure that we have taken.” He dismissed the necessity of conducting further tests for consumers similar to those done in Hong Kong.
The government’s cross-departmental efforts include another phase, which extracts another 50 samples from one unoccupied residence in every targeted block. According to the officials, the results will come out before the weekend, as the inspectors have completed 70 percent of the investigation.
In addition, the officials stressed that their approach to water sampling was in line with the international ISO 5667-5:2006 standard, which requires water to be drained from the faucet for at least two minutes prior to taking the water sample for analysis. Lei Chin Ion, head of the Health Bureau believed that this practice was also strongly advisable for daily water consumption.
Chau Vai Man, coordinator of the Infrastructure Development Office, also reassured the public by disclosing that the material of the pipelines installed in the public housing was chiefly copper, with silver and lead-free solder also used for welding.
“All the sources respectively come from Australia, Europe, the United States and England. There’s this message I want to emphasize: all the pipeline materials are strictly regulated by international standards when it comes to safety,” he said.
The Marine and Water Bureau presented a set of guidelines last year on proper maintenance of water management systems, targeting local public housing estates as part of a trial run. However, such instructions, as the bureau’s head Wong Soi Man said, were merely educational. Staff reporter
No Comments