Public communication:
Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, and Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing brief the media on the progress of clean-up operations.
Public communication:
Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, and Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing brief the media on the progress of clean-up operations.
Risk from plastic pellets not high: CS
August 06, 2012
The public should not worry about the plastic pellets scattered across Hong Kong waters and beaches, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam says, as they are not toxic, and the risk posed to water quality, marine ecology, and food safety is not high.
Mrs Lam told the media in a press conference today that a meeting has been held to co-ordinate the work of four government bureaus and seven departments. They have taken immediate measures and reported their progress to her at the meeting.
She said the internal co-ordination and notification mechanism has been effective, however, communication with the public needs improvement.
"In future, when a similar incident occurs, we should take the initiative to find an early opportunity to notify the public about the incident, the various measures we have taken, and how the public can participate in protecting the environment."
Mrs Lam said the Marine Department and Food & Environmental Hygiene Department have collected 50 tonnes and 21 tonnes of pellets. She estimated about half of the pellets have been cleared. The departments will continue the clean-up, and those in distant areas that are not easily accessible will also be taken care of.
The Leisure & Cultural Services Department has enhanced monitoring at beaches. The Government Flying Service and Marine Police will inspect coastlines which may be affected.
Mrs Lam said the Centre for Food Safety will step up random checks and the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will enhance communication with the fisheries industry and follow up when there are abnormal fish deaths.
She thanked green groups and the public for helping in the clean up, and urged people to report any large quantity of pellets found.
Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said the pellets are not water-soluble and are not toxic. They will not affect water quality, but the Government will continue monitoring the situation and notifying the public.
He said the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department has been monitoring marine ecology but has found no abnormalities. The Government will follow up on the ecological risk assessment, and continue monitoring and clearing the pellets.
Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man said he has inspected the Ma Wan and Cheung Sha Wan fish culture zones. No abnormality was found in Ma Wan, however, fish in Cheung Sha Wan have lost their appetite. Their health is being assessed.
He reiterated that although environmental contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants, can be adsorbed by the pellets over time, the food safety risk is not high, as the pellets are not toxic.
Dr Ko urged people not to eat fish with an abnormal appearance, smell, or taste, or dead fish on the beach. Fish should be washed thoroughly, and their internal organs removed, before cooking.
He said the amount of pellets cleared by the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department, and fish safety information from the Centre of Food Safety, will be published online
here.
A ship lost seven containers in waters south of Hong Kong during Typhoon Vicente last month. Six contained sacks of plastic pellets - 150 tonnes in total - and one contained glass bottles.
