hong kong pollution hits ‘record’ levels

HONG KONG — Air pollution in Hong Kong, reached record levels on Monday (22/3/2010), setting off an official government warning to avoid outdoor activities and physical exertion.

Pollution levels have been elevated in the city for days, casting a gray pall over the harbor and obscuring views of Hong Kong’s famed skyline. But by Monday afternoon, Hong Kong’s official air pollution index rose further still, to the worst levels since records started being kept in 1995.

Pollution levels are now 14 times the amount recommended by the World Health Organization.

The air pollution index levels exceeded the maximum measurement of 500 points at several stations last night. Where 100 or above is classified as “very high” and comes with the advice that people who are sensitive to pollution should reduce outdoor activities. Anything above 200 is considered “severe,” and can lead to coughing, phlegm and sore throats, the authorities warned. And right now on March 23 the levels are still very high. The forecast for the day is levels up to 490 = Very High to Severe.

“Apart from cities in greater China, I don’t know of anywhere with a comparable level of social and economic development which remotely compares with Hong Kong” in terms of air pollution, said Anthony Hedley, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong.

Yesterday’s record levels were partly caused by a sandstorm in northern China, which has been moving south. The sandstorm, the nation’s worst in more than a year, has affected 270 million people across 16 provinces and offers a sign of the worsening problem of desertification in the north, according to scientists and meteorologists. On Monday, Beijing was blanketed in a yellow haze of sand and grit. However, pollution in the city’s Central business district reached “dangerous” levels one out of every eight days last year, so even though HK reached record levels yesterday - it is a very polluted city in general.

The previous high for Hong Kong was set on July 28, 2008, when the API hit a level of 202... Compare that to yesterday's 500 and more...

Again, worth repeating: And this is what I call home... :(