Hong Kong issues air pollution warning

Hong Kongissues air pollution warning

Aug 18, 2004 -- HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong issued a health alert as air pollution reached critical levels for the second consecutive day.

With city air pollution index levels in the "very high" category, the government advised people with heart or respiratory illnesses to avoid outdoor activities.

The city appeared cloaked in dense smog Wednesday as the pollution index reached 111 on a 1-200 scale. On Tuesday it hit 115.

A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said the high readings were partly the result of calm air subsiding around Typhoon Megi, which is hovering over the northwest Pacific Ocean.

"Pollutants are trapped under the calm wind conditions," the spokesman said.

The pollution resulted from smog forming in the neighboring heavily industrialized Pearl River Delta region of southern China.

Air quality was expected to improve as Megi moves further north and winds pick up, the spokesman added.

A study by the University of Hong Kong in 2000 found air pollution was responsible for accelerating the deaths of up to 550 people every year in the territory.