Air pollution out of control in Hong Kong

Many of you already know that many cities in China have really huge air pollution problem, and one of the most affected cities in China is also one of China's biggest and most famous cities, namely Hong Kong. How bad is air pollution in Hong Kong? The best answer to this question comes from health experts who claim that the growing air pollution is now responsible for about three deaths a day in this 7-million city.

The current air pollution situation in Hong Kong is so serious that schools have suspend their activities and the government has warned the public to avoid spending time outdoors as much as possible. Measured air pollution data throughout the city has recorded levels of air pollution only five points below the maximum recordable level of 500.

If you know that anything between 100 and 200 is considered very high while 200 above is considered severe you can get pretty decent picture about what close to 500 means. This is the first time since the recording begun that levels were so close to 500 mark.

With such levels of air pollution people with asthma and other breathing problems are not the only ones affected as even healthy people are likely to experience discomfort such as eye irritation, coughing, phlegm and sore throats.

According to the official explanation the reason for such tremendous level of air pollution is a sandstorm from northern China that was moving south towards Hong Kong with the northeast monsoon winds, and the government expects it will subside in the next few days as the wind is already changing direction.

This situation has proved that past government efforts in reducing air pollution in Hong Kong weren't successful, and that air pollution is still the biggest environmental problem in this huge Chinese city.

The major reason why Hong Kong is having this big air pollution problem is the fact that the air pollution in Hong Kong is blown over from the industrial zone in neighboring southern mainland China which contributes to around 80 percent of total air pollution levels in Hong Kong.