Application Complete! Ready to Run in 2007 Standard Chartered Marathon in Hong Kong!

Just received my confirmation e-mail!

I'm really looking forward to the 2007 Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon.

However, it is very disappointing to see the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic association skirting around the serious issue of pollution. They provide you with historic weather information, but nothing on historic pollution levels (last year for example, pollution readings were extremely high and the number of runners taken to hospital was also at an all time high.

Amazing, considering that in Hong Kong we have warnings for "black storms" (heavy rain) and typhoons... but severe pollution is apparently not considered a serious enough issue that the organizers would contemplate cancelling the race.

You should take the pollution readings on that day seriously. Given that most days in Hong Kong are "high" pollution days (using the ratings of the Hong Kong government), it is very likely pollution readings on race day will also be in the "high" category. You can find current and historic pollution readings at the website of the ironically named Environment Protection Department.

I am not planning to run if the reading a few hours before start time is over 75 according to the Hong Kong Pollution Index. I know it's a totally arbitrary number I've chose - please let me know if you can suggest a better number.

[on top - picture of today's pollution from my office - can barely see windmill in Lama Island]

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Here is something you will almost never see these days.. BLUE sky in Hong Kong!

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William Pesek in Bloomberg Article: measures against pollution will be inflationary

In a Bloomberg article written by William Pesek Jr., he states that China's fight against pollution will likely lead to inflation. He also notes that in the past several years many new factories may have invested in China specifically due to the lax pollution controls. Who knows what the costs of this lack of policy have been in China, but in Hong Kong it is estimated cost over $300 million in additional healthcare bills per year.

Read the full article, courtesy of Envirovaluation.org by clicking here.

Exxon: move your HQ to Hong Kong!

Slightly off-topic, but I've just read a post from Dr. Jeff Master's WunderBlog (must read!) about how Exxon and other fossil fuel companies are funding the U.S. based Competitive Enterprise Institute and their misleading ads that claim CO2 emissions are not harmful with the tag-line, "Carbon Dioxide: they call it pollution, we call it life."

Read WunderBlog to understand this cynical reactive PR campaign being published in response Al Gore's new film, An Inconvenient Truth.

If Exxon and the other fossil fuel companies think CO2 is such great stuff then InvestHK should really be giving them a call. pronto!

Hong Kong Pollution Driving Expats Away

Another article in today's The Standard talks about exatriates in Hong Kong leaving the city or refusing to move here due to Hong Kong's terrible air quality.

The article points out issues that all of us living here are already familiar with: The government doesn't even acknowledge some of its pollutants (in particular fine particulates) , the pollution is getting worse, not better, the consequences on health are terrible (though Hong Kong's Department of Health has no mention of pollution on their website).

While corporates in Hong Kong had previously not publicly commented on pollution, it's interesting to see that many are now making public announcements to express their displeasure with the situation.

Sadly, some of Hong Kong's most influential multinatials, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank (sponsor of the yearly marathon here), are doing nothing... The nature of their commitment to the welfare of this community has always been tenuous. In Hong Kong this matters because of the 'functional constituency' system used in government, where companies and trade groups (not individual residents) are the primary directors of government policy.

Read the full article here.

How Much Pollution are Hong Kong Companies Emitting?

One reasonable way of coming to grips with our pollution problem in Hong Kong and Guangdong would be to first try to understand how much of each of the major pollutants companies are emitting on a yearly basis.

Apparently the U.S. EPA requires that pollution emitting industries provide a yearly estimate of the types and amount of pollution they are emitting.

Unfortunately this does not seem to be a requirement in Hong Kong. It would be interesting to know how much pollution New World First Bus (and First Ferry), for example, emit into our atmosphere every year.

If you're interested in reading more about air pollution generally, check out wunderblog.

It's been three days since Typhoon Chanchu swept by Hong Kong and the skies have quicky returned back to their usual low-visibility :(

Another beautiful day... but no Hong Kong Pollution?

Another post-typhoon stunning day in Hong Kong... but sadly looks can deceive. A quick glance at the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) this morning shows that pollution levels in most parts of urban Hong Kong is in the 'high' zone above '50'. Remember that Hong Kong's '50' in many instances (though it depends on the actual mix of pollutants) equates to about '100' in the World Health Organization air quality proposed guidelines that are likely to mirror those of the EU. ... with the recommendation to avoid strenous exercise....

Wow - No Hong Kong Pollution! ... must be a typhoon in the 'hood!

The air quality has been superb the last few days, and today the visibility was better than I can remember for a long, long time... you could clearly see the mountain ridges on the other side of the harbour!

A great entry appears at SimonWorld

Clear the Air: an excellent resource on Hong Kong Pollution

If you're looking for ONE website to provide you with a summary of Hong Kong's putrid air quality, check out ClearTheAir.org.hk

I particularly like the chart that shows Hong Kong's current pollution levels rated on the basis of the European Union's air quality standards. Roughly speaking, a reading of "50" according to Hong Kong's EPD standards seems to equate to around 100 in the EU's air quality standards. However, the reality is that it is a tough comparison to make, because each jurisdiction treats individual pollutants differently. Therefore it is most accurate to compare based on individual pollutants.

To view a side-by-side comparison, view this page at Greenpeace: http://api.greenpeace.org.hk/index.php?lang=en

Thankfully, I've been in Singapore the last two weeks, where the air quality is much better (though levels of micro-particulates are still higher than ideal). Cheap flights (especially at zuji.com and jetstarasia.com) are making the commute between Hong Kong and Singapore easier and easier. For those looking for a temporary carcinogen break, perhaps consider the Singapore commute.

Time Magazine features article on Hong Kong Pollution

For a good summary of how terrible the air quality is in Hong Kong, read this article: http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501060515/hk_air.html

If anything, the article is very polite towards the leading companies and government of Hong Kong. The government currently has no comprehensive plan to battle pollution. The departmeent of health (http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/) doesn't even feature air pollution as a health concern and provides no advice to asthma sufferers, children and the elderly. The Transport Department (http://www.td.gov.hk/home/index.htm) has no clear policy on regarding pollution and what it intends to do to reduce it.

down but not out!

Hong Kong pollution continues to deteriorate by the month!

Most recently, Civic Exchange and AsiaExpat jointly hosted a very informative forum in Central. If you care about your health and live in Hong Kong, I urge you to fill in this petition and also glance at some of the experts' findings that have been posted below the petition:


http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/petition/

The World Health Organization Air quality guidelines (referred to in the link above) that come into effect in September of this year will be highly embarrassing for Hong Kong, as it will be failing these guidelines virtually every single day of the month. Of particular concern is the situation in Hong Kong regarding micro-particulates that our lungs are not able to filter and therefore enter into our bloodstream.

Please sign the petition!

Today's papers feature stories indicating that many tourists are outraged by pollution in Hong kong. A study of tour guides in Hong Kong conducted by Friends of The Earth last month revealed that 10% of guides had seen members of their tour group become ill due to pollution and 50% of them described the HongKong pollution situation as "severe."

The un-linkable SCMP's coverage today provides additional statistics on the much higher level or respiratory conditions, particularly for the elderly, that are becoming apparent due to pollution.

In a few weeks time Hong Kong will be hosting another major sporting event, the Rugby 7s, let's see if this time any of the organizers have the decency to establish a pollution warning system to alert athletes about the related risks should the event take place on one of Hong Kong's frequent 'high' pollution days.

Great - another massive pollution day in Hong Kong.

No need to look here to realize that today is another one of Hong Kong's many nasty pollution days. Just look out the window. That so-called 'haze' that limits visibility to a few hundred feet and causes a frustrating glare is a give-away, though perhaps you also felt it this morning when you woke up and took a deep breath.

If you're working or living in Central district, congratulations, you have a 'very high' reading mostly due to "respirable suspended particulates" that will wedge themself deep in your lung tissue and stay in there... for ever! A souvenier from Hong Kong's largest tycoons and corporates that own most of the pollution emitting factories and vehicles in Hong Kong and Guangdong province.

We should thank Hong Kong corporates and trade unions for doing nothing meaningful to aggressively reduce emissions. After all, they're the ones with the vote in Hong Kong's unique electoral system, where companies and trade bodies forming "electoral constituencies" vote on members of Legco and lobby on policy decisions.

We should also thank the Department of Health that is making a choice *not* to highlight pollution as a major health concern to the people of Hong Kong. Perhaps it is because the guideliens of the EPD are inadequate and it does not wish to get embroiled in the politics of changing these. Actually, by relatively stringent European and North American environmental standards, almost every day in Hong Kong should be a 'very high' pollution day. See the links on the right (GreenPeace and Clear The Air) for more.

Finally, in case you aren't convinced those particulates might kill you, read this link from MedPage about the effects of fine particulates on the elderly.

I'm dying to go on a run... but might actually try to postpone the run for a day or two...

blog now ONLY accessible from http://www.DyingToRun.com

The HK government has announced it will conduct a review of safety guidelines for next year's race. Let's hope the pollution issue is not dodged in favor of only looking into issues of overcrowding.

In last Sunday's race, about double the number of participants compared to 2005 required medical attention. Five thousand runners, or about 12% of all runners required medical attention. Add to this the number of people that suffered mild asthma attacks and did not report them (me) and it seems fair to guess the number of participants experiencing medical concerns would be a few percentage points higher.

One runner on Sunday's race has passed away, and other - a 33 year old with no medical history, remains in critical condition with likely brain damage.

Today's 'Letters' page in the SCMP includes a letter from M. Douglas, please see my excerpts:

If you are not aware of the Greenpeace air pollution index, it can be found here. It compares the air quality the government claims that HK has with the standards of the EU...
...It is great that HK finally has some sports that have captivated much of the population - now it is time for everyone to realise that the government has done very little to maintain a living environment in which these events can take place.
Renewal of the Citybus license for another 10 years, without even requiring new, state-of-the-art diesel traps on every vehicle, is a perfect case in point...
Can someone with leadership qualities stand up and end the apathy towards air pollution in this city?

The SCMP is asking readers to voice their opinion on whether marathon entrants over the age of 45 should be required to have a medical check-up. Post your thoughts to talkback@scmp.com You may want to emphasize that it would be more valuable that the city implement environmental criteria for the race as pollution does not discriminate by race!

Reference: The Hong Kong Standard, SCMP (un-linkable)

Condolences to the family and friends of Tsang Kam-yin that passed away today after becoming critically ill while participating in Sunday's marathon (see government press release).

While it is impossible to ascertain the role that the severe pollution levels may have had on Mr. Tsang, the toxic air quality on that day should certainly be seriously considered as a contributor. We await a confirmation or denial of this being a factor in Mr. Tsang's death from the government.

It is very disappointing, that two days after nearly 40,000 citizens undertook strenuous exercise during environmental conditions that were dangerous to health, Hong Kong's Department of Health has issued no notice or recommendations to the community. Shame on you Dr. Lam, please re-read your mission statement.

Annelise Connell of Clear the Air wrote back to me with additional information you'll find interesting, and frightening...

1. Health considerations and risks of running in smoggy environments. Click here (also, see the comment left in the previous blog entry regarding the effects of specific chemicals).

2. Hong Kong's Air Pollution Index (API) guidelines are relatively lax compared to those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Using Hong Kong's index, the U.S. EPA would suggest that NO ONE should do strenuous exercise when the reading is above 88 (readings on Marathon day were well over 100). Click here for more.

Also, please see the press release that Clear the Air posted regarding the marathon (hopefully SCMP will also publish this) here.

Lastly, for a summary of the average pollution readings in January 2006 (using Hong Kong's relatively lax health suggestions), click here.

Breathtaking Hong Kong: 22 runners end up in hospital. More at Simonworld's website

First entry, and letter being submitted today to the South China Morning Post:

Isn't it ironic that in Hong Kong it is becoming more healthy to sit still rather than exercise? Yesterday's marathon resulted in the first asthma attack I've ever experienced - the density of pollution was obvious to everyone who remembers blue skies. Although its intention is clearly good, it seems Standard Chartered's highly effective promotion and sponsorship of the run in polluted Hong Kong is morally unconscionable if not economically unwise. The fourty thousand citizens encouraged to get out and run may become relatively suceptible to future illnesses that will detract from their quality of life. The suspended respiratory particulates they inhaled on Sunday are now lodged permanently in their lungs, and may unfortunately become their most permanent souvenir of their run.

How does Standard Chartered evaluate the social and economic benefits of sponsoring the run in the context of Hong Kong's notoriously toxic pollution? By withdrawing their sponsorship, the Bank would deliver a long overdue wake-up call to the government that the city's failing environment and its ambitions to be a World City are completely incompatible.

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With this blog, I welcome your thoughts and feedback as to what we can do to make Hong Kong a clean city again. As the structure of the Hong Kong government allows greatest representation to functional constituencies and their underlying corporates, I think it is imperative to encourage Hong Kong corporates to address their social and political responsibilities to our community. I welcome your suggestions and feedback.