HK Roadside Pollution Levels Hit Record Highs For 2 Quarters Straight - Independent

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Hong Kong's roadside pollution soared to record highs in last two quarters, official data showed Tuesday. Roadside pollution was "very high" or "severe" for 14 percent of the time between January and March, and 24 percent of the time in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to statistics from the Environmental Protection Department.

The six-month period was the most polluted in the city since the department started releasing quarterly findings in 1999. A survey of people in more than 150 countries last month found Hong Kong residents were the most dissatisfied with their air quality.

The poll, by the consultancy Gallup, revealed that 70 percent of the financial hub's inhabitants were unhappy with the city's air.

In March, Hong Kong recorded its first "severe" roadside pollution warning in a decade, when a toxic soup of particulates fuelled by a massive sandstorm in Beijing shrouded the city's famed skyline for several days. "Severe" pollution means the concentration of pollutants exceed 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air. The warning advises the public to stay away from areas with heavy traffic.

EDIT

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/hong-kong-roadside-pollution-soars-to-record-highs-1962679.html