By Isaac Cheung July 22, 2015 / 17:22 HKT
Forty Hong Kong public housing estate residents have been found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood following tests on the back of concerns about water contamination.
The tested individuals live in Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City and Kwai Luen Estate in Kwai Chung, both of which have been found to harbour water with excessive lead content in recent weeks.
According to Ko Wing-man, the Secretary for Food and Health, 27 of the individuals found with five to 15 micrograms of lead per 100 millilitres of blood were children under the age of six, while the other 13 are mothers who are currently nursing infants.
Ko also claimed that the government recognises parents’ concerns, which is obviously very reassuring.
A fact sheet from the World Health Organisation states that lead concentration as low as five micrograms per 100 millilitres of blood can result in decreased intelligence, behavioural problems and learning difficulties in children.
A task force is currently being set up to investigate the source of the lead contamination, with a preliminary report expected in two months’ time.
In the meantime, get your kids drinking beer. It’s probably better for them.
Photo: Ioan Sameli via Flickr
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/07/22/27-children-13-lactating-mothers-found-high-levels-lead-blood
