AIR POLLUTION AND YOU

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is caused by emissions of particulate matter and harmful gases. The most common air pollutants are:

total and respirable suspended particulates (TSP & RSP) sulphur dioxide (SO2) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) carbon monoxide (CO) ozone (O3) and photochemical oxidants lead (Pb)

Why air pollution is my concern?

Air pollution is a concern of everybody since it may cause discomfort and adverse health effects. Children, elderly and those who have heart or lung problems suffer the most when the air around them is polluted. Polluted air can also adversely affect our quality of life. One example is its impact on visibility. In the past few years, our visibility has been getting worse. One of the causes is the scattering and absorption of sunlight by fine particulates and nitrogen dioxide. Poor visibility can also be a result of natural causes, so it is not always a sign of bad pollution.

How do we know our ambient air is polluted?

EPD measures air pollution through a monitoring system which is comprised of ambient air quality monitoring stations on low-rise buildings and roadside stations at ground level. These stations are certified by the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme. You may learn about our daily air quality from the Air Pollution Index reports through the media or from our hotline at 2827-8541.