Hong Kong air pollution

[skippyscuffleton]

I am considering taking a new job in hk. One of my main concerns is air pollution. Can anyone enlighten me as to how constant and bad the pollution is?

[EdithWeston]

It's a tiny place, all within spitting distance of coastline. Pollution doesn't hang around (hardly any industry, only car fumes to worry about I suppose).

You might like to think about living on one of the islands?

[Bluestocking]

Official info from HK's Environmental Protection Department is here.

[RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief]

It's pretty terrible actually. Main problems are vehicle pollution ( old diesel buses) and industrial pollution from china. Some days they actually tell people to keep their kids inside. It's not actually noticeable that often ( what a lot of people think is pollution is often just haze) but some days you do have 'oh my god' moments about how bad it is, especially after a long public holiday when they've shut the shelters down for a few days and then crank them all up again.

[footyfan]

It can be pretty bad - but then so can a lot of major cities. Have you been to visit yet? It's an amazing place, and it's easy to get out to other less polluted islands for a break.

I'd move there tomorrow if I had the chance!

[laptopwieldingharpy]

Its terrible at the moment.
Been pretty bad since the end of typhoon season (end august)
Its not usually relentless but its definitely something to factor in if anyone in the family has a history of allergies/asthma etc....
The pollution also exacerbates migraines and can leave you feeling nauseous for days.

Still a great place to be. I know very few who'd want to leave. You'll need a good medical cover.

[EdithWeston]

Much lower than 80s/90s though.

[mungojerrie]

HK is a wonderful place to live - there is nowhere like it. However the air pollution can be very bad indeed - and I would disagree with Edith that it was worse in the 80s/90s - we have lived in HK since '86 and since the handover the rules on factories in Shenzhen (just over the border) have relaxed so a great deal of the air pollution is now from the mainland.

There are ways of enjoying HK life despite the pollution however - as some have already mentioned living on the outlying islands (Lamma, Cheung Chau etc) or far out like Sai Kung, Tai Po, Sha Tin etc.

Hope that helps.

[skippyscuffleton]

Many thanks for all the replies and advice.

[kf1979]

It's definitely not great and many of our friends with kids are now considering a move to Singapore to get away from the smog. Some days are worse than others, and Clear The Air have lots of scary (but informative) info.
On the other hand, we've just moved back to HK after 18 months in Shanghai, so the air feels positively crisp and alpine in comparison! China's API scores are off the scale, and mostly only monitored and reported by foreign embassies so it's difficult to get an accurate reading.
Overall we feel that the quality of life here is worth it. That said, we've chosen to live off HK Island this time to avoid the 'greenhouse effect' that you can find in the Mid-Levels, where the densely-packed buildings prevent good airflow and add to the claustrophobic sensation on a smoggy day. Just my own view there.