Press Releases

Government releases latest blood test results of citizens affected by lead in drinking water incident

The Government today (July 20) released the latest blood test results of citizens affected by the lead in drinking water incident, including a sample from a pregnant woman living in an affected public rental housing estate (Kai Ching Estate) which showed a normal blood lead level.

Taking reference from medical literature as well as local and overseas experience, the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Department of Health (DH) have derived the reference values of blood lead levels and corresponding actions to be taken in various healthcare settings.

According to established measures, the DH will perform lead exposure assessment for all citizens with borderline raised blood lead levels, and will arrange preliminary developmental assessment if they are children aged under 12. The HA will arrange health evaluation and follow-up for citizens with borderline raised blood lead levels who are children aged 12 or above, adults, pregnant women or lactating women, and arrange ongoing blood lead level monitoring for those persons with borderline raised blood lead levels.

As regards citizens whose blood lead levels had been found to be borderline raised, the HA has, according to established measures under the care plan, continued to monitor their blood lead levels after the first blood test. For children aged below 18, lactating women and adults, blood lead level testing will be conducted in three months' time, and repeated according to clinical assessment, until their blood lead levels return to normal. For pregnant women, they will receive follow-up blood tests until their blood lead levels return to normal. As of today, the blood lead levels of a total of 156 citizens have been reviewed in batches. The latest batch of test results showed that the blood lead levels of two children have returned to normal.

Ends/Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:55
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