http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1840085/residents-admit-lead-contamination-fears-water
by Housewife Yeung Wai-hing
SCMP - Hong KongToday, 12:05 PM
Residents of a Hong Kong public housing estate today admitted they were worried as the government prepared to collect tap water samples there amid a growing scare over lead contamination.
The Yee Ming Estate in Tseung Kwan O is one of 10 public housing estates built in the last two years – involving more than 24,000 households – that have been targeted for inspection following the discovery of excessive levels of lead in three public rental estates – Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City, Kwai Luen Estate in Kwai Chung, and Shui Chuen O Estate in Sha Tin.
Yee Ming Estate resident Connie Yuen, mother of a three-month-old infant and a six-year-old boy, said she was very concerned about the water contamination scare. When she and her husband heard the news that their estate was on the list for inspection yesterday, they bought two large bottles of water for drinking and cooking.
“My kids are still very young. I breastfeed my baby but I drink the water, so it could still affect him,” she said. “I believed the government inspected our water before letting us move in, but yesterday we found out they hadn’t.”
Yeung Wai-hing, a housewife living with her husband and daughter said she was worried too, and blamed the government for the health scare.
The government ... should have thoroughly checked everything before letting so many people move in
Housewife Yeung Wai-hing
“We have been living here for a year now, the harm would already have been done if there really was lead in our water,” she said. “The government has no foresight. They should have thoroughly checked everything before letting so many people move in.”
Although they have a one-year-old baby, Tse Ka-nam and his wife Chung Hok-man said it was too early to start feeling anxious, however. “Let’s see what the results are first, [if they come out positive for lead] then we will start worrying,” Tse said.
Ping, a shopkeeper at a 7-Eleven convenience store on the estate, said the shop was prepared to stock more bottled water, although they had not started yet.
Housing minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung yesterday stressed the government was taking action “simply to ease residents’ concerns, and not because evidence had been found pointing to unacceptable lead levels in drinking water” at the 10 estates.
Cheung said the focus was on covering all Housing Authority estates built after 2013 as they were completed around the same time as the first two estates where the contamination was initially discovered.
List of public housing estates where tap water samples will be collected for lead testing:
Wing Cheong Estate, Sham Shui PoMei Tin Estate (Phase 4), Tai WaiShek Lai (II) Estate (Shek Foon House), Kwai HingFung Wo Estate, Sha TinTak Long Estate, Kai TakMei Tung Estate (Mei Tak House), Lok FuYee Ming Estate, Tseung Kwan OCheung Lung Wai Estate, Sheung ShuiHung Fuk Estate, Tin Shui WaiKwai Luen Estate (Phase 1), Kwai Chung
