Now we don’t want you to start panicking, but it might be time to invest in a Geiger counter.
Dr. Mamie Lau, a former member of Hong Kong’s Radiation Board, did just that, and has been busily collecting radiation figures from different parts of the city.
Here’s a woman that needs a hobby, if ever we saw one.
Her findings reveal that the level of background radiation in certain badly ventilated areas of Hong Kong is one third higher than the global average.
Readings taken in Central, Nam Cheong, and Tai Kok Tsui all showed radiation levels of 0.32 microsieverts per hour (mSv/h) when Lau took readings last year.
By comparison, the world average is around 0.25mSv/h, whereas readings from Tomioka-machi, a Japanese town near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, were 0.65mSv/h in September.
Lau explained to the SCMP that much of radiation can be attributed building materials that contain trace amounts of gamma-emitting elements like radon, thorium and even uranium. YIKES!
In addition, a chunk of radiation can also be found in the radon gas in the air. Ugh…as if we needed another reason to hold our breath.
However, the Observatory also monitors radiation levels in city and insists we’re not at risk.
Leung Wai-hung, a scientist at the Observatory, is adamant that the levels are so miniscule that the accumulation over time does not add to our natural radiation absorption.
All the same, Lau urged the government to better monitor the use of building materials in new constructions as well as in redevelopment projects.
At present, building materials used for construction are not measured for radioactivity and there are no regulations governing their use.
Photo: Doctor Ho via Flickr
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