{"id":374,"date":"2015-09-02T14:19:29","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T14:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/?p=374"},"modified":"2015-09-02T14:20:37","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T14:20:37","slug":"374","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/02\/374\/","title":{"rendered":"Health warning issued as Hong Kong air pollution expected to hit &#8216;serious&#8217; levels"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\/health-environment\/article\/1833424\/health-warning-hong-kong-air-pollution-expected\">http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\/health-environment\/article\/1833424\/health-warning-hong-kong-air-pollution-expected<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"block-panels-mini-masthead-boom\">\n<div id=\"mini-panel-masthead_boom\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"masthead\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/hong-kong\/health-environment\">HEALTH &amp; ENVIRONMENT<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"main-wrapper\">\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div id=\"content\">\n<div id=\"block-system-main\">\n<div id=\"article\">\n<div id=\"content-top\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/hong-kong-air-pollution\"><img title=\"Hong Kong air pollution\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn2.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/650w\/public\/topics\/2015\/04\/27\/hongkongairpollution-banner_0.png?itok=3FBK3kmE\" alt=\"Hong Kong air pollution\" data-original=\"http:\/\/cdn2.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/650w\/public\/topics\/2015\/04\/27\/hongkongairpollution-banner_0.png?itok=3FBK3kmE\" data-ignore=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\">NEWS<\/a>\u203a<a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\">HONG KONG<\/a>\u203a<a href=\"http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/hong-kong\/health-environment\">HEALTH &amp; ENVIRONMENT<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 2em;\">Health warning issued as Hong Kong air pollution expected to hit \u2018serious\u2019 levels<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Health alert issued as pollution hits &#8216;very high&#8217; levels in busy districts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>PUBLISHED : Monday, 06 July, 2015, 7:34pm<\/div>\n<div>UPDATED : Tuesday, 07 July, 2015, 2:41am<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Chris Lau<a href=\"mailto:chris.lau@scmp.com\">chris.lau@scmp.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"content-main\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"scmp_gallery\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"slide-0-field_images-1833424\"><a title=\"The Environmental Protection Department is warning of increasingly harmful pollution levels this evening. Photo: Felix Wong\" href=\"http:\/\/cdn3.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/980w\/public\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-july6-felix.jpg?itok=6y_z-5fh\" rel=\"gallery-[field_images-1833424]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Environmental Protection Department is warning of increasingly harmful pollution levels this evening. Photo: Felix Wong\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn3.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/486x302\/public\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-july6-felix.jpg?itok=U8ew-7ri\" alt=\"The Environmental Protection Department is warning of increasingly harmful pollution levels this evening. Photo: Felix Wong\" width=\"486\" height=\"302\" data-original=\"http:\/\/cdn3.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/486x302\/public\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-july6-felix.jpg?itok=U8ew-7ri\" data-ignore=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>The Environmental Protection Department is warning of increasingly harmful pollution levels this evening. Photo: Felix Wong<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Hong Kong was shrouded in higher-than-normal pollution yesterday as &#8220;very high&#8221; levels were recorded across some of the busiest areas of the city.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2015\/07\/07\/air-quality-health-index.jpg\" rel=\"gallery-all\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/236w\/public\/2015\/07\/07\/air-quality-health-index.jpg?itok=HpQqs2Ap\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/236w\/public\/2015\/07\/07\/air-quality-health-index.jpg?itok=HpQqs2Ap\" data-ignore=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Areas such as Central and Western District, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Kwun Tong recorded &#8220;very high&#8221; levels of 10 at intervals throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>The Environment Protection Department warned some districts could reach &#8220;serious&#8221; levels above 10, as a continental airstream closes in on the area, affecting the coastal areas of Guangdong.<\/p>\n<p>Out of the 15 monitoring stations across the city, 11 reached the &#8220;very high&#8221; level at 6pm, according to the department&#8217;s website. These stations recorded an index between 7 and 10.<\/p>\n<p>However, the environment watchdog stopped short of confirming whether the choking condition was likely to continue today, as a spokesperson said the index was only reflective of a short timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>The index, introduced in 2013, is an indicator of the short-term health impact pollutants have on people.<\/p>\n<p>The watchdog warned the &#8220;very high&#8221; level meant children, the elderly and people with existing heart or respiratory illnesses were advised to reduce outdoor activities to a minimum or even avoid them.<\/p>\n<p>Others, the department warned, were advised to stay out of areas with heavy traffic.<\/p>\n<p>When the serious level is reached, those who are particularly vulnerable are advised to avoid all outdoor exposure, especially in areas with heavy traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Despite uncertainties on the index levels, the weather conditions forecast over the next couple of days are expected to be more conducive to a continued high pollution level.<\/p>\n<p>Chan Yan-chun, scientific officer of the Hong Kong Observatory said the city would be influenced by a dry continental airstream. &#8220;It will bring us hot, cloudy weather with haze and isolated showers,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The environmental watchdog said the airstream was likely to enhance the formation of ozone, while a light wind would facilitate the trapping of pollutants.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, tropical storm Linfa is gradually approaching the southern part of Taiwan and Chan said the Observatory would keep an eye on its movement in case it affected the region.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-davidwong.jpg\" rel=\"gallery-all\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/486w\/public\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-davidwong.jpg?itok=qpoNa_B7\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/486w\/public\/2015\/07\/06\/airpollution-davidwong.jpg?itok=qpoNa_B7\" data-ignore=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Hongkongers gasping for a breath of fresh air<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>http:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/hong-kong\/health-environment\/article\/1833424\/health-warning-hong-kong-air-pollution-expected HEALTH &amp; ENVIRONMENT NEWS\u203aHONG KONG\u203aHEALTH &amp; ENVIRONMENT \u00a0Health warning issued as Hong Kong air pollution expected to hit \u2018serious\u2019 levels Health alert issued as pollution hits &#8216;very high&#8217; levels in busy districts PUBLISHED : Monday, 06 July, 2015, 7:34pm UPDATED : Tuesday, 07 July, 2015, 2:41am Chris Lauchris.lau@scmp.com The Environmental Protection Department is warning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.propectin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}