2015 Hong Kong heavy metal in drinking water incidents

Kai Ching Estate, where lead contamination of drinking water was first uncovered.

Samples of potable water in Hong Kong were found to contain excessive levels of heavy metals including lead, nickel and cadmium in 2015. Such discoveries of contamination caused widespread crisis within the city.

The scandal began in June 2015 when the Democratic Party announced that testing of drinking water at Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon revealed lead contamination.[1] The Hong Kong Housing Authority subsequently confirmed that the levels of lead exceeded the standard established by the World Health Organisation.[1] Since the initial discovery at Kai Tak, lead contamination of drinking water has been found at numerous other housing estates, schools, and public buildings across Hong Kong.

Lead standards

Main article: Lead poisoning

Lead is a toxin that can cause serious and irreversible health damage. Children are especially vulnerable to its effects. Due the historic usage of lead water pipes, many jurisdictions have legal limits on safety levels of lead content in drinking water. Hong Kong standards limit the acceptable lead content of drinking water to 10 micrograms of lead per litre, the same standard as Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. For comparison, the United States allows 15 micrograms per litre while Mainland China allows 50 micrograms per litre.[2]

Discovery and cause

On 5 July 2015 Democratic Party legislator Helena Wong exposed the lead contamination in tap water at Kai Ching Estate, a newly constructed public housing estate in Kowloon City.[3][4] Samples had been sent for testing at one of the six laboratories authorised by the government.[5] According to the Water Supplies Department, the public monopoly supplier of potable water, the contamination was caused by illegal soldering at the joints of water pipes. Government officials attempted to pass the blame onto a building contractor.[4][6] The contractor in turn rejected the accusation, saying that he had installed outside piping and had no role in installing pipes inside the building to each apartment. He asserted that materials used by his firm were approved by the housing authorities, and suggested the government may have not diligently checked the presence of prefabricated materials used in constructing other parts of the public housing projects.[1]

Public disquiet further intensified after the press and public discovered throughout the following months of more and more instances of lead contamination, including in schools and on other premises.[7][8] Of the 11 public rental housing estates with lead in water identified as of 10 September 2015, six were built by Yau Lee Construction Company, two by China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited, two by Paul Y Engineering, and one by Shui On Group.[9] However, the plumbing in public estates may be built by a subcontractor. In the case of Kai Ching Estate where the scandal began, the plumbing contractor was the Ho Biu Kei Construction & Engineering Company. The head of Ho Biu Kei responded that the construction materials he used were approved by the authorities, and that his company was only responsible for the plumbing on the outside of the building, not the plumbing in the flats.[1] The interior plumbing comprises prefabricated components manufactured by Shenzhen Hailong Construction Products Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering.[1]

On 25 September 2015 the Task Force on Excessive Lead in Drinking Water set up by the government released a preliminary finding that solder joints were the cause of the lead contamination, as previously asserted by the Water Supplies Department. The task force also found that copper alloy fittings leach lead, but not to an excessive degree. Elemental analysis of solder from Kai Ching Estate found it comprises up to 41 per cent lead, or 585 times the British Standard of 0.07 per cent.[10] Helena Wong revealed in early November that Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and a Health Department official had separately asked Wong in July, shortly after she made her revelations, for the name of the laboratory that conducted the tests. Wong herself refused to identify the laboratory she mandated, and added that laboratories had received queries from the government, leading to fears that the government was attempting end the affair by putting pressure on laboratories not to perform any further tests.[5]

Contaminated buildings

Kai Ching Estate water plumbing
Kai Ching Estate temporary water supply

Samples of water contaminated with lead have been identified at a range of public and private buildings of various ages, but especially in public housing estates constructed in the past decade. Individual buildings and institutions have commissioned water testing at their premises across the city. The government is conducting testing at many schools and public estates.

Housing

Lead has been found in the water of numerous public housing estates, particularly those opened in the past decade. In addition to Kai Ching Estate, these include Kwai Luen Estate (Kwai Chung), Hung Hom Estate, Tung Wui Estate (Wong Tai Sin), Choi Fook Estate (Choi Wan), Un Chau Estate (Sham Shui Po), Ching Ho Estate (Sheung Shui), Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate, and four other as of 10 September 2015.[11] As of the same date, 64 other public housing developments were tested but no excessive lead contamination found. This does not necessarily clear these estates of the possibility of contamination, as the number of tests completed to date varies in each location and the testing has not been exhaustive of each housing block or drinking water tap.[9]

Lead contamination has also affected private residential developments. Property management company Savills Guardian conducted testing at The Caldecott, a luxury estate in Kowloon Tong built in 2004, and found 19 micrograms of lead per litre of water sourced from a kitchen tap.[12] A water sample from The Austin, a newly built luxury development atop Austin Station, was found to contain 41 micrograms of lead per litre.[13]

Schools

Lead contamination was discovered at numerous schools. SKH St. Thomas’ Primary School in Sham Shui Po, the first case, where test results on potable water were 330% above WHO guidelines was disclosed by Apple Daily on 23 August.[14] Another Kowloon school, St. Francis of Assisi’s Caritas School (SFACS) in Shek Kip Mei, reported contamination above WHO standards in three out of five samples taken from its premises. One sample was found to contain 220 mg of lead per litre of water; two other samples, from the kitchen and canteen, were found to have 25 mg and 26 mg of lead per litre, respectively. This spurred the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union to urge the government to test water in all of Hong Kong schools, and give financial assistance and issue guidelines to schools opting to have their own water supply tested.[15] However, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng refused, saying that as many schools had since installed water filters for their drinking fountains and faucets, and that students themselves had started bringing their own drinking water supplies, the government would prioritise water standards at public housing estates.[15]

The Baptist Rainbow Primary School in Wong Tai Sin announced the discovery of water contamination on 31 August 2015. It marked the first time that lead contamination had been found in an older building. The school was built in 1984.[16]

The English Schools Foundation collected more than 300 water samples for testing from its 21 schools across Hong Kong. It announced in September 2015 that samples from four schools (King George V School, Sha Tin College, South Island School, and West Island School) contained elevated levels of lead. The ESF subsequently shut off the sources of contaminated water.[17]

Reaction

The lead contamination of water has resulted in a public outcry and intense media scrutiny.

Palliative measures

From 10 July, the government commenced supplying free bottled water to households in all affected estates, numbering 30,000 in total.[18] It was subsequently revealed that some 6.5 million bottles of AS Watson water were supplied to affected residents up to end of October, at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of HK$40 million.[18]

In early November, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam announced that households affected by a tainted water would receive rebates of up to HK$660 (US$85) on their water bills. The four main water pipe contractors for the affected estates agreed to install temporary pipes and undertake permanent replacement at a total cost of HK$140 million as a gesture of goodwill. They also agreed to pay HK$20 million in compensation to affected tenants without any admission of responsibility.[19]

Inquiries

On 13 August, the government appointed a Commission of Inquiry into Excess Lead Found in Drinking Water.[20]

On 20 August, the Housing Authority's tender committee announced that it would delay the tendering process for construction of four new public housing estates. Some of the contractors bidding on these developments were blamed for causing lead contamination of water in previous estates they had built.[21]

As Secretary for Education Eddie Ng initially refused to test the water supply in all kindergartens or install water filters to help protect the health and welfare of highly vulnerable children,[22] uproar only abated when Chief Secretary Carrie Lam announced on 3 September that tests would be conducted on supplies to kindergartens across the territory to ensure the safe potable water for the most vulnerable schoolchildren.[22] The government's handling of the crisis caused CY Leung's support rate to hit a new low since he came to power in 2012. Results of a survey released in early September showed Leung was disapproved of across all demographics. Approvals amounted to 22 percent and disapprovals were at 62 percent – a net popularity of negative 39 percentage points; similarly, the satisfaction rate for the HK government stood at 21 percent while its dissatisfaction rate was at 50 percent – a net of negative 29 points.[22]

In September 2015, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) opened an investigation into whether corruption or abuse of power contributed to the lead contamination incident. The case was submitted to the ICAC by the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood and People Power in July.[23]

In May 2016, after a one year long investigation, an inquiry commission formed by the government concluded that the incident has been a "collective" failure of numerous government departments. No specific person or department has been found guilty.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lo, Arthur (13 July 2015). "Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern". Hong Kong Free Press.
  2. ↑ Westcott, Ben; Chan, Samuel (16 July 2015). "Hong Kong's lead-in-drinking-water crisis: everything you need to know". South China Morning Post.
  3. ↑ Ng, Kang-chung (20 July 2015). "Hong Kong lawmaker Helena Wong moves from blunders to tainted water scandal". South China Morning Post.
  4. 1 2 "Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern". Hong Kong Free Press. 13 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 http://www.ejinsight.com/20151111-carrie-lam-query-about-test-lab-worried-legislator/
  6. ↑ "First it was lead, now legionella bacteria found in Kowloon City estate's water supply". South China Morning Post. 13 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Lead water scandal escalates as Housing Sec denies situation is 'out of control'". Hong Kong Free Press. 3 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "How the government lost public trust over lead contamination". EJ Insight. 16 July 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Test results of water samples taken from public rental housing estates" (PDF). Information Services Department. 10 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Task force announces preliminary findings of investigation into cause of excessive lead content in drinking water". Hong Kong Government. 25 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Frequently asked questions". Lead in Drinking Water Incidents. Information Services Department. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  12. ↑ Lo, Kinling (5 August 2015). "Luxury estate latest fail in excess lead-in-water saga". The Standard.
  13. ↑ Tsang, Emily; Siu, Phila; Cheung, Elizabeth (19 July 2015). "Blood tests for residents in Hong Kong tainted water scare 'normal'". South China Morning Post.
  14. ↑ "Excessive lead found in tap water at Sham Shui Po primary school". EJ Insight.
  15. 1 2 "Water testing for all schools sought as contamination spreads". EJ Insight.
  16. ↑ Cheng, Kris (1 September 2015). "Lead contamination in water found at primary school built 32 years ago". Hong Kong Free Press.
  17. ↑ "Water samples from ESF schools have high lead content". Hong Kong Economic Journal. 14 September 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing pocketed HK$40 million as sole supplier of bottled water at height of city's lead-in-pipes scandal". South China Morning Post. 4 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Lead scandal tenants to get subsidies on their water bills". EJ Insight.
  20. ↑ "Commission of Inquiry into Excess Lead Found in Drinking Water appointed". Information Services Department. 13 August 2015.
  21. ↑ Chan, Gloria (21 August 2015). "Tendering process on hold for four Hong Kong housing estates amid lead-in-water crisis". South China Morning Post.
  22. 1 2 3 "Can CY Leung still govern Hong Kong effectively?". EJ Insight. 2 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Kilpatrick, Ryan (22 September 2015). "Corruption watchdog starts probe into lead in water scandal". Hong Kong Free Press.
  24. ↑ "Govt blames collective failure after inquiry into tainted water". ejinsight. 1 June 2016.

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