Hong Kong chokes as pollution levels hit highs for fourth day

Charity Davenport
11/6/09
2:24pm

People living in Hong Kong who are suffering from health problems are being advised to avoid being in the city streets because the roadside pollution levels have hit peak levels for the fourth day running. The Environmental Protection Department has aimed this warning towards people who have respiratory problems or heart conditions. The roadside monitors have been registering increasing pollution levels since last Monday. It has been stated that the majority of the pollution contained nitrogen dioxide from traffic. The nitrogen dioxide became trapped in the central area by the high-rise buildings and winds. Since the weather in the area is supposed to remain fine and dry within the next few days, the high pollution levels are expected to remain constant. The air quality in Hong Kong has deteriorated since the early 1990s, mainly due to factory pollution blowing into the city from China.

The pollution in these areas appears to be on a constant increase, and it’s really a sad issue to think about. I never really thought about how the tall buildings in a city could keep polluted air in a central location. This makes it very unfortunate for the people in Hong Kong—especially for the people with health conditions who are not able to carry on their normal daily activities. It makes sense that lots of this pollution is coming from China—being that the pollution levels are high there, as well. Due to the huge populations, the abundance of traffic and factories are really taking a toll on the people living in those areas. I really hope something can be done soon to fix this problem.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293300,hong-kong-chokes-as-pollution-levels-hit-highs-for-fourth-day.html