Not Your Imagination: HK Air Pollution Going Up EXPONENTIALLY--Chart

[thanka2]

Folks, the first time I set foot in HK was back in 2002 (I know, I know, compared to some of you HK long-termers my stay here is but a flash in time) and I can tell you that the air pollution was NOWHERE near as bad then as it is now.

Here is the data from the HK Observatory demonstrating my suspicions that not only has the air pollution increased since 2002 but that it has done so exponentially. Check out this chart. From 2002-2005 reduced visibility due to particle suspension (mainly due to air pollution) more than DOUBLED. It's back down a little bit now but not by much.

What do you ladies think about all this? I am feeling increasingly unwell with the air pollution as my lungs just can't handle it anymore. I also feel so sad about the state of things. I feel guilty for allowing my child to breathe the air here!

 

[penguinsix]

I created a site to compare the air quality here vs. the air quality monitoring standards in other countries.

http://www.theairyoubreathe.com/

Basically if you are coming from Australia or France, under their systems we are at the highest air quality warning systems pretty much every day.

And just for a bit of a visual, I replaced the filters in my air cleaners last night. Here is what 4 months of use looks like vs. a new filter, and this is in a room that is kept quite clean.

 

[AmyH]

Funnily enough, before we moved here my son used to get sick a lot (he was prem). In the UK he had numerous chest infections and pneumonia as his lungs were under developed at birth. We lived quite close to the hospital and spend many nights in there with him over the four years we lived there. The doctors suspected he may develop asthma.

Since we moved here, he has been to the doctors a grand total of three times, all of which were just for check ups and issue with his eyes. He has not been on any medication and seems to be coping quite well with the air quality.

But, when I travel in to central (on the rare occasions that I do!) I can feel it on my skin and I do struggle to catch my breath. My children are rarely on hong kong island though as we live in the new territories.

 

[thanka2]

I created a site to compare the air quality here vs. the air quality monitoring standards in other countries.

http://www.theairyoubreathe.com/

Basically if you are coming from Australia or France, under their systems we are at the highest air quality warning systems pretty much every day.

And just for a bit of a visual, I replaced the filters in my air cleaners last night. Here is what 4 months of use looks like vs. a new filter, and this is in a room that is kept quite clean.

All I can say is "Wow." We don't even have an air filter at home yet. Guess that is high on our priority list now!

 

[thanka2]

Funnily enough, before we moved here my son used to get sick a lot (he was prem). In the UK he had numerous chest infections and pneumonia as his lungs were under developed at birth. We lived quite close to the hospital and spend many nights in there with him over the four years we lived there. The doctors suspected he may develop asthma.

Since we moved here, he has been to the doctors a grand total of three times, all of which were just for check ups and issue with his eyes. He has not been on any medication and seems to be coping quite well with the air quality.

But, when I travel in to central (on the rare occasions that I do!) I can feel it on my skin and I do struggle to catch my breath. My children are rarely on hong kong island though as we live in the new territories.

I've had the opposite experience. But, I didn't come from the UK so I don't know what the air quality is like there. But, I have never, ever had any lung or breathing problems until last year when I started to develop some serious problems. My son and I now have a continuous hacking cough and I really can't breathe well. I also live in the New Territories but we get pollution straight from Lamma Island (the coal-fired electric plants there are on the top ten list of worst polluters in the world, actually--even though supposedly they've cleaned things up in recent years--I'll find the watchdog website that charts this and post it later) as well as pollution directly from Shenzhen AND the villagers burn their trash which creates low-lying smoke that makes going outside unbearable on some days (they burn plastics as well). So, actually, when we go to HK Island East to visit my parents-in-law because at least we're getting some ocean air breeze it's like a relief for my lungs!

My sister was here for 6 months living with us last year and she returned back to my home city in the States and said for 8 weeks straight she coughed up black muck from her lungs as she recovered from being in HK. Yuck.

 

[taysty]

@ Thanka

So now you're living in HK Island East with the in-laws? That's pretty near me. I'm at the far end of east. I like it here too especially if i see blue skies and eagles gilding.

Honestly, when i first came HK, i was very sick or rather get sick frequently. I remember there's one time that the pollution in Central is so bad that the moment i reached office, i was so sick that i need to go to see a dr and took half day sick leave.

After living in this isolated far end of of island east, i felt so much better and less visits to dr.

Wonder when your baby is coming? I'm getting excited for you as you're always posting.

 

[AmyH]

I've had the opposite experience. But, I didn't come from the UK so I don't know what the air quality is like there. But, I have never, ever had any lung or breathing problems until last year when I started to develop some serious problems. My son and I now have a continuous hacking cough and I really can't breathe well. I also live in the New Territories but we get pollution straight from Lamma Island (the coal-fired electric plants there are on the top ten list of worst polluters in the world, actually--even though supposedly they've cleaned things up in recent years--I'll find the watchdog website that charts this and post it later) as well as pollution directly from Shenzhen AND the villagers burn their trash which creates low-lying smoke that makes going outside unbearable on some days (they burn plastics as well). So, actually, when we go to HK Island East to visit my parents-in-law because at least we're getting some ocean air breeze it's like a relief for my lungs!

My sister was here for 6 months living with us last year and she returned back to my home city in the States and said for 8 weeks straight she coughed up black muck from her lungs as she recovered from being in HK. Yuck.

That sounds awful. It is weird how it affects people differently because you see a lot of posts where children and adults develop skin issues and breathing problems. We have been quite lucky so far, but issues may develop when they are older so I will be keeping a close eye on them!

 

[nicolejoy]

I feel guilty for allowing my child to breathe the air here!

Better than NOT allowing him to breathe right?

It's funny though, the asthma rate in Australia is WORSE than the asthma rate here. Yes Hong Kong has a lot of pollution, but Australia has a ridiculous amount of "natural particles" in the air - pollen, etc. My hayfever is MUCH worse in Australia than in Hong Kong. I find that the pollen in Oz affects me a lot more than the pollution here. The pollution doesn't tend to bother me too much.

My daughter tends to get an "allergic cough" when the weather changes, and the doc says she may be slightly asthmatic - but both her father and I were asthmatic as kids (I grew out of it though, he still has a bit of asthma) so I think it's probably more genetic than the environment, and I know that for asthma, HK is still better than Australia when you look at the rates of the disease.

 

[taysty]

@ nicolejoy

I totally agree with you for the hayfever thing. I remember when i was studying in Sydney, there was one time that the doc gave me 2 or 3 days of sick leave seeing how sick i was. I practically cant do anything except just lying and sleeping.

He even want to use the breather for asthma patients.

 

[thanka2]

@ nicolejoy

I totally agree with you for the hayfever thing. I remember when i was studying in Sydney, there was one time that the doc gave me 2 or 3 days of sick leave seeing how sick i was. I practically cant do anything except just lying and sleeping.

He even want to use the breather for asthma patients.

I had to go on the nebulizer (breathing machine for asthma patients) as well as asthmatic medication last summer when I was taken to the hospital by ambulance because I couldn't breathe. And I DO NOT HAVE ASTHMA. All I know is that my lungs hurt and my eyes burn half of the time when I'm outside in HK. Not fun. Never been to Australia so I wouldn't know how it would be for me there but in the States completely fine.