Night-sky brightness monitoring in Hong Kong

Results of the first comprehensive light pollution survey in Hong Kong are presented. The night-sky brightness was measured and monitored around the city using a portable light-sensing device called the Sky Quality Meter over a 15-month period beginning in March 2008. A total of 1,957 data sets were taken at 199 distinct locations, including urban and rural sites covering all 18 Administrative Districts of Hong Kong. The survey shows that the environmental light pollution problem in Hong Kong is severe—the urban night skies (sky brightness at 15.0 mag arcsec^− 2) are on average ~ 100 times brighter than at the darkest rural sites (20.1 mag arcsec^− 2), indicating that the high lighting densities in the densely populated residential and commercial areas lead to light pollution. In the worst polluted urban location studied, the night-sky at 13.2 mag arcsec^− 2 can be over 500 times brighter than the darkest sites in Hong Kong. The observed night-sky brightness is found to be affected by human factors such as land utilization and population density of the observation sites, together with meteorological and/or environmental factors. Moreover, earlier night skies (at 9:30 p.m. local time) are generally brighter than later time (at 11:30 p.m.), which can be attributed to some public and commercial lightings being turned off later at night. On the other hand, no concrete relationship between the observed sky brightness and air pollutant concentrations could be established with the limited survey sampling. Results from this survey will serve as an important database for the public to assess whether new rules and regulations are necessary to control the use of outdoor lightings in Hong Kong.     

Noise surveys of hand-held pneumatic rock drills in Hong Kong

A study of the noise generated by hand-held pneumatic rock drills at 15 road works locations in Hong Kong was conducted in 1989. The locations of road construction works were identified over one week period. Sound pressure levels (SPL) and band frequency analysis were measured with the integrated sound level meter at the level of the operator's ears. The sound levels for all 15 operators exceeded the local statutory limit of 90 dBA. The average sound level was 107.4 dBA and the corresponding continuous equivalent level adjusted to 8 hours or L _eq (8h) was 104.8 dBA. The sound levels for the octave frequencies from 125 Hertz to 8000 Hertz were all in excess of 90 dBA. Estimates of the risk of developing hearing impairment for conversation speech among the operators were 18% and 42% after 5 and 10 years of exposure, respectively. Although there is adequate statutory control to restrict and reduce the hazards caused by noise at road construction works to the workers and to the public at large, no noise control measures were noted at the work sites and none of the operators used hearing protection. This situation was compounded by the short-term nature of road works and the high mobility of the operators.     

Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Hong Kong

This paper reports the monitoring results of eleven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), four to six-ring, at two urban sites-Central & Western (CW) and Tsuen Wan (TW) in Hong Kong from January to December 2000; and the findings of a study conducted in 2001 of the partitioning of the gaseous and particulate phases of PAHs. The sum of the eleven PAHs under study (sigmaPAHs) was found to range from 6.46 to 38.8 ng m(-3). The annual mean levels at 12.2 ng m(-3) and 15.8 ng m(-3) for CW and TW respectively are comparable to those recorded for the previous two years and are also within the reported ranges for other metropolitan cities in the Asia Pacific region. Amongst the selected eleven PAHs, fluoranthene and pyrene were the two most abundant found in the urban atmosphere of Hong Kong during the study period accounting for approximately 80%, of the total PAHs. The ratios of benzo(a)pyrene to benzo(g,h,i)perylene (BaP/BghiP) and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene to benzo(g,h,i)perylene (IDP/BghiP) indicate that diesel and gasoline vehicular exhausts were the predominant local emission sources of PAHs. Seasonal variations with high winter to summer ratios for each of the individual PAHs (CW: 1.6-16.7 and TW: 0.82-8.2) and for sigmaPAHs (CW: 1.9 and TW: 1.8) and a spatial variation of BaP amongst the air monitoring stations are noted. Results of correlation studies illustrate that local meteorological conditions such as ambient temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and wind direction have significant impact on the concentrations of atmospheric PAHs accounting for the observed seasonal variations. A snapshot comparison of the concentrations of PAHs at four sites including a roadside site, a rural site and the two regular urban sites CW and TW was also performed using the profiles of PAHs recorded on two particulate episode days in March 2000.     

The legal control of chlorofluorocarbon and halon substances in Hong Kong

The Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance was recently enacted in response to Hong Kong's international obligations under the 1987 Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Commencing July 1 1989, chlorofluorocarbon production and consumption in Hong kong will be frozen at 1986 levels. A further reduction in two stages to 50% of 1986 levels will be implemented by 1999. The production and consumption of halon substances will also be frozen at their 1986 levels from January 1 1992. The Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance seeks to reduce the consumption and production of ozone depleting substances by a system of quota allocations. Importers of scheduled chlorofluorocarbons will need to be registered with the Environmental Protection Department. Only registered persons will be issued an import or export licence. Many practical problems remain in giving effect to the Protocol. The Protocol does not initially prohibit the export of scheduled substances to countries who are not parties to its provisions. However, commencing January 1 1993, a series of trade restrictions will be brought to bear on countries who are not parties to the Protocol. Graduated sanctions include: a ban on exporting prohibited substances to non-member countries; a total prohibition against importing items containing controlled substances from non-member states; a prohibition against exporting technology or equipment used in the production of such substances. The Protocol has major implications for Hong Kong. In the first place it must find a suitable substitute for controlled substances in various manufacturing processes. In addition, as almost 100% of Hong Kong's re-exports of chlorofluorocarbons and halon substances are to non-signatory countries, there will be implications in giving full effect to the provisions of the Protocol in that regard as well.     

Relationship between road traffic noisescape and urban form in Hong Kong

This paper reports on a study which explored the possible relationship between road traffic noisescape and urban form in Hong Kong. A total of 212 residential complexes from 11 contrasting urban forms were sampled, and their noise levels assessed both at dwelling and neighbourhood scales by noise mapping. Its findings indicate that residential complexes with different urban forms have significantly different noisescape attributes. There is a strong correlation between the noise characteristics and morphological indicators at the dwelling scale. A less obstreperous noisescape is associated with urban forms with lower road and building densities, and with building arrangements which provide self-noise screening. These findings suggest that urban form is an influential determinant of the noisescape in the urban environment, and they point to the need to rethink the conventional approach to managing the urban acoustic environment.     

Quantifying urban heat island intensity in Hong Kong SAR, China

This paper addresses the methodological concerns in quantifying urban heat island (UHI) intensity in Hong Kong SAR, China. Although the urban heat island in Hong Kong has been widely investigated, there is no consensus on the most appropriate fixed point meteorological sites to be used to calculate heat island intensity. This study utilized the Local Climate Zones landscape classification system to classify 17 weather stations from the Hong Kong Observatory’s extensive fixed point meteorological observation network. According to the classification results, the meteorological site located at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters is the representative urban weather station in Hong Kong, whereas sites located at Tsak Yue Wu and Ta Kwu Ling are appropriate rural or nonurbanized counterparts. These choices were validated and supported quantitatively through comparison of long-term annual and diurnal UHI intensities with rural stations used in previous studies. Results indicate that the rural stations used in previous studies are not representative, and thus, the past UHI intensities calculated for Hong Kong may have been underestimated.     

Heavy Metal Contents and Magnetic Properties of Playground Dust in Hong Kong

This study examined the levels of seven heavy metals (namelyzinc, copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese and iron) andtheir associations with magnetic properties in playground dustof Hong Kong. Results showed that the playground dust containedhigh concentrations of Zn (mean = 1883 g g^-1), Cu(mean = 143 g g^-1) and Cr (mean = 263 g g^-1).Qualitative examination of dust samples under microscope indicated local traffic as one of the important pollutant sources. Magnetic measurements indicated that these anthropogenicpollutants mainly consisted of coarse-grained multidomain (MD) ferrimagnetic minerals. Superparamagnetic (SP), stable single domain (SSD) ferrimagnetic grains and non-ferrimagnetic mineralswere present in relatively small amounts. Significant correlations between heavy metals and various magnetic parametersindicated a strong affinity of heavy metals to magnetic minerals hence pointed out the potential of magnetic properties for simpleand rapid proxy indications of heavy metal pollution in playground dust.     

Multivariate Analysis of the Hong Kong Victoria Harbour Water Quality Data

Two multivariate techniques (principal components analysis and cluster analysis) are used to analyse Hong Kong Victoria Harbour water quality data. Results show that the sampling stations can be divided into four main groups, which is consistent with the tripartite structure obtained from an environmental approach. Moreover, it is found that the groups produced can be interpreted based on two main features of the data: nutrient level and the algae-faecal pollution.     

Preliminary occurrence studies of antibiotic residues in Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta

An improved liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to investigate the occurrence of selected antibiotic residues in Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta. LC and MS parameters were optimized to produce the maximum analytical responses for each compound. The established method targeted five groups of antibiotics, namely, macrolides, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, quinolones, and amphenicols. The method was validated for three types of environmental water matrices, namely, reservoir, river, and estuarine waters. Low detection limits of 0.17–0.18 ng/L for macrolides, 0.22–0.34 ng/L for quinolones, 0.67–1.65 ng/L for tetracyclines, and 0.27–0.56 ng/L for sulfonamides were obtained. No apparent interferences were observed in the chromatograms of all antibiotics groups. The developed method was preliminarily used to analyze water samples collected from Yuen Long River in New Territories, Hong Kong and four sites along the Pearl River Delta. Results showed that high level of tetracycline was found among the groups tested in the local river samples. In Pearl River Delta, we identified significant levels of erythromycin, roxithromycin, and sulfadiazine in Shenzhen Reservoir.     

Spatial distribution and source identification of persistent pollutants in marine sediments of Hong Kong

A data matrix, obtained during a 3-year monitoring period (2007–2009) from 45 sampling sites in Hong Kong marine, was subjected to determine the spatial characterization and identify the sources of main pollutants. Indicator analyses indicated that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nickel, manganese, and arsenic (As) were at safe levels. Five heavy metals (zinc, lead, cupper, cadmium, chromium (Cr)) were moderate to severe enrichment at some sites. Inner Deep Bay and Victoria Harbor were considered as hot spots for PAHs and the heavy metals, while Tolo Harbor was highly polluted by the heavy metals. Cluster analysis classified the 45 sampling sites into three groups, representing different pollution levels. Principal component analysis/factor analysis identified four principal components (PCs) and explained 84.9 % of the total variances, standing for persistent pollution, N factor, P and Cr factor, and As factor, respectively. Group A was highly polluted by persistent pollution, group B was the less polluted group, and subgroup B1 was less affected by PC3 and PC4 than subgroup B2. Group C, considered as the moderately polluted group, was greatly affected by N factor or persistent pollution, while subgroup C2 received more N pollution than subgroup C1.     

Receptor modeling for analyzing PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB sources in Hong Kong

A total of 96 ambient air samples were collected from January 2004 to December 2004 for the investigation of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans [PCDD/Fs]) and dioxin-like profile for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the atmosphere of Hong Kong. Two-day back-trajectories were obtained using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Air Resources Laboratory. Receptor models – potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) – were built based on the measured PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs total toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations. Both models were modified in this study so as to integrate the information obtained from three sampling sites in Hong Kong. The PSCF modeling resolved two main PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB polluting paths from Mainland China. In line with previous studies, the northerly path around the Pearl River Delta might be one of the pollution sources of Hong Kong air. On the other hand, the receptor models also indicated another potential northeasterly source from Yangtze River Delta, which was seldom mentioned as the source region of Hong Kong air. Results from the CWT modeling suggested that the most toxic air mass affecting Hong Kong is probably attributable to the northeast path rather than the north path.     

Influence of indoor air quality (IAQ) objectives on air-conditioned offices in Hong Kong

It is costly to sample all air pollutants of a general community. Air sampling should be conducted based on a practical assessment strategy and monitoring plan. In Hong Kong, the Environmental Protection Department (HKEPD) launched an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) certification scheme to grade workplace IAQ as 'Excellent' or 'Good' by measuring the levels of nine common indoor air pollutants, namely carbon dioxide (CO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), respirable suspended particulates (RSP), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), ozone (O(3)), formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), radon (Rn), and airborne bacteria count (ABC). Although average office IAQ performance has been improved since the implementation of this certification scheme, there are still resource issues and technical difficulties. To streamline the assessment of office IAQ performance, this study proposes a simple index of IAQ benchmarks formulated in compliance with the HKEPD requirements. In particular, three of the nine listed common air pollutants were selected as the 'representatives' for the overall satisfactory IAQ. Together with the assessment results of 422 Hong Kong air-conditioned offices, the index was evaluated in terms of test sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. Proved to be feasible to describe the IAQ of some air-conditioned offices, this IAQ index would be a useful tool for policymakers, building owners and professionals to quantify IAQ performance in offices and to make decisions on resources and manpower management for efficient mitigation actions.     

Analysis of pollutant levels in central Hong Kong applying neural network method with particle swarm optimization

Air pollution has emerged as an imminent issue in modernsociety. Prediction of pollutant levels is an importantresearch topic in atmospheric environment today. For fulfillingsuch prediction, the use of neural network (NN), and inparticular the multi-layer perceptrons, has presented to be acost-effective technique superior to traditional statisticalmethods. But their training, usually with back-propagation (BP)algorithm or other gradient algorithms, is often with certaindrawbacks, such as: 1) very slow convergence, and 2) easilygetting stuck in a local minimum. In this paper, a newlydeveloped method, particle swarm optimization (PSO) model, isadopted to train perceptrons, to predict pollutant levels, andas a result, a PSO-based neural network approach is presented. The approach is demonstrated to be feasible and effective bypredicting some real air-quality problems.     

Gaseous and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions from commercial restaurants in Hong Kong

Commercial cooking emissions are important air pollution sources in a heavily urbanized city. Exhaust samples were collected in six representative commercial kitchens including Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants, and Western fast-food restaurants in Hong Kong during peak lunch hours. Both gaseous and particulate emissions were evaluated. Eight gaseous and twenty-two particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in this study. In the gaseous phase, naphthalene (67-89%) was the most abundant PAH in all of the exhaust samples. The contribution of acenaphthylene in the gaseous phase was significantly higher in emissions from the Chinese restaurants, whereas fluorene was higher in emissions from the Western cooking style restaurants (i.e., Western restaurants and Western fast-food restaurants). Pyrene is the most abundant particulate PAH in the Chinese restaurants (14-49%) while its contribution was much lower in the Western cooking style restaurants (10-22%). Controlled cooking conditions were monitored in a staff canteen to compare the emissions from several different local cooking styles, including deep frying, steaming, and mixed cooking styles (combination of steaming and frying). Deep frying produced the highest amount of total gaseous PAHs, 6 times higher than the steaming. However, steaming produced the highest particulate emissions. The estimated annual gaseous PAH emissions for the Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants, and Western fast-food restaurants were 255, 173, and 20.2 t y(-1) whereas 252, 1.9, and 0.4 t y(-1) were estimated for particulate phase PAH emissions. The study provides useful information and estimates for PAH emissions from commercial cooking exhaust in Hong Kong.     

Monitoring long-term variation of aerosol composition: a dual particle-size approach applied to Hong Kong

The 1990's time series in Hong Kong for various components oftotal suspended particulate matter (TSP) and PM₁₀ have beenanalyzed in order to assess two distinct types of anthropogenicinput. The first of these relates to the immense reclamation andconstruction activities for new developments and airportconstruction. The concentrations of crustal components inPM₁₀ (= TSP – PM₁₀) were found to peak at the time ofthis maximum activity. A second type of anthropogenic input,ambient lead from petrol vehicles, has decreased in Hong Kongand now represents a regional background. Ambient bromine nowarises mainly from the seasalt source.     

Determination of noise induced hearing loss in mining: an application of hierarchical loglinear modelling

The levels of noise arise from mining industry seem to be higher when compared to other industries. For this reason, noise exposure and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) are prevalent in mining. Assessment of noise emission levels that arise from various mining operations is required to prevent and minimize the NIHL. Because the studies for preventing occupational hearing loss among miners are inadequate, a quarry and stone crushing-screening plant was selected to generate site-specific data. The noise levels of the environments in which workers work were measured and also a hearing test centre applied hearing tests to the workers. According to the hearing test results, it was determined that the part of workers have hearing loss. The main factors affecting the NIHL were assumed as experience, noise level, miners’ age and occupation, and by taking into account the sub factors of the main factors, multi way contingency tables were prepared. Then hierarchical loglinear analysis method was implemented to categorized data; thus, the probabilities might effect NIHL was investigated. At the end of this study, it was found that the most risky occupation group was the drivers, and additionally, these workers were mostly exposed to 70–79 dB(A) noise level. When the important interactions are evaluated, it is determined that 4–11 years experienced crusher workers have high probability of NIHL because of high exposure to 90–99 dB(A) noise level. Moreover, the most important interactions which may affect the NIHL were identified and the precautions to reduce hearing loss were presented.     

粤港珠江三角洲区域空气质量联动监测系统质控技术

空气污染日益呈现的区域性特点,使得空气质量区域联动监测成为必然趋势.以粤港珠江三角洲区域空气质量监控网络的实践为例,介绍了区域联动监测系统的组成和运行机制,并着重探讨了系统质量保证/质量控制(QA/QC)以及数据管理等核心支撑技术.     

An off-site snapshot methodology for estimating building construction waste composition - a case study of Hong Kong

Waste composition analysis is essential for implementing appropriate management strategies. In Hong Kong, on-site waste quantification is often not practical due to site space limitation at construction sites. In addition, as the construction waste problem urgently needs addressing, reliable waste generation rates need to be derived over a short time. To address these two issues, this study presents an off-site snapshot methodology for estimating construction waste composition. Three construction sites, at the initial stage, mid-stage, and end stage respectively, are selected for illustrating the proposed snapshot methodology. It is found that the composition of inert and non-inert waste varies significantly at different construction stages. Non-inert waste is an important component of building construction waste, of which wood & timber waste contributes the largest proportion. Following wood & timber waste, metal waste is the second largest source of non-inert waste. Results show that the proposed off-site snapshot methodology can sufficiently solve the problem of limited on-site sorting space and derive reliable detailed waste generation information over a certain short time.     

Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the assessment of water quality in the Southwest New Territories and Kowloon, Hong Kong

The application of different multivariate statistical techniques for the interpretation of a complex data matrix obtained during 2000?C2007 from the watercourses in the Southwest New Territories and Kowloon, Hong Kong was presented in this study. The data set consisted of the analytical results of 23 parameters measured monthly at 16 different sampling sites. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the 12 months into two periods and the 16 sampling sites into three groups based on similarity in water quality characteristics. Discriminant analysis (DA) provided better results both temporally and spatially. DA also offered an important data reduction as it only used four parameters for temporal analysis, affording 84.2% correct assignations, and eight parameters for spatial analysis, affording 96.1% correct assignations. Principal component analysis/factor analysis identified four latent factors standing for organic pollution, industrial pollution, nonpoint pollution, and fecal pollution, respectively. KN1, KN4, KN5, and KN7 were greatly affected by organic pollution, industrial pollution, and nonpoint pollution. The main pollution sources of TN1 and TN2 were organic pollution and nonpoint pollution, respectively. Industrial pollution had high effect on TN3, TN4, TN5, and TN6.