Sue

I've never been to Hong Kong, but it's one of those places on my "would like to visit" lists. So this article piqued my interest. One paragraph stated: "Last year, a report from office supplier Regus revealed that an astonishing three-quarters of companies in Hong Kong saw pollution as a problem in recruiting and retaining international talent, while a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong found that nearly half (48 per cent) of its members knew of professionals who had left to escape the contaminated air."

Is that true? Is the air quality really that bad, or is it a case of a journalist blowing things all out of proportion in order to write an article?

Kooky.

It's probably a journalist blowing things all out of proportion in order to write an article and I'm sure the majority of people don't give it a second thought, but it's the main reason we didn't move there in 2008, when we left Singapore.

With autoimmune disorders my doctor didn't even like me visiting, and was horrified if I told him I'd eaten the seafood. (He's Chinese, BTW.)

bakedbean

I've only been there once and was working at the time so not outside that much, but didn't notice much pollution. No different to any other city.

A friend of mine goes there a couple of times a year and keeps posting these fabulous foody pics on her facebook wall. Worrrr some really nice dishes. I think I have to go back there one day.

penguinsix

Overall it depends on what time of the year. Right now in the winter months, it's pretty bad. The most damaging pollutant, PM2.5 (small bits of grit that can get in your bloodstream) isn't even tracked by the HK government because the results would be so negative.

I made a site that takes the current HK pollution data and compares it to western standards.

http://theairyoubreathe.com/
http://theairyoubreathe.com/testair.php?station=13

For example in Central right now it's "moderate" on the HK standard but a level 5 (out of 10) by the UK standard. It's also a 5 out of 6 by Aussie standards (which are very strict). Pollution along downtown HK is 156% of the World Health Organization maximums, and this is a pretty good day.

Most schools monitor the pollution like they monitor the weather. If it is above a certain level than outdoor activities are curtailed or cancelled. Last year, statistically, air pollution was the worst ever.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...80803J20120109

Kooky.

And then there's the Black Rain.

PeteinHongKong

This issue has been bubbling away since the late 1990s when there was a series of major air pollution episodes that were widely covered in the international media. Yes, it certainly is a problem and it is probably the case that a number of expats have left as a result but not in large numbers. Asthmatic children and adults and those with other respiratory problems are obviously at high risk in this kind of environment.

There are other pressing problems for expats here as I have mentioned in other threads, especially the availability of school places in international schools. Housing costs are another burden facing many expats who are not necessarily on packages with generous housing perks.

As a long term resident here - almost 30 years - the biggest issue bugging me is the influx of mainland tourists which although great for business is choking many areas that were already busy and crowded enough.

Talking with my local Chinese colleagues another major issue is the influx of pregnant mainland women who are very determined to have their children in Hong Kong. This is overloading the maternity services in the health care system in both public and private sectors. Expats with babies on the way or planned in the future need also to be aware of this.

12yearson

It was a factor in my family deciding to leave, after many wonderful years there, albeit only one in a number of factors. No question that we frequently used to worry about the long-term damage the often very visible pollution was doing to us, but more concerning as we planned to start a family (and since have) was the effect on our kids.

In isolation, it would not have been a big enough issue to make us leave HK (unless our kids had specific health issues which the pollution made worse), because HK is a wonderful place and we had many great years there. But there's no question that it can be bad, and so far at least, the government has done nothing much to address it. That being said, there is increasing recognition across the border of the economic and social cost of pollution on the mainland, and so eventually I would expect things to improve (much as they did in Tokyo and other large cities that underwent very rapid development). But we're probably looking at many years until things change noticeably.

hong_konger

Do you mean the black rainstorm warning. This warning is raised when the railfall intensity reaches a certain level over a certain period. Its got nothing to do with pollution and infact a good down pour with a good typhoon helps clear the air (for a while).