Pollution a problem for infants/babies?

L

Liz1975

Registered User
Hi All,

We are considering a move to HK and will have a 2-3 month old (our first). I have been doing a ton of reading on the pollution problem in HK and wondering if anyone has information about the potential health risks to babies? How "real" is the problem? I live in NYC, and heard that the pollution is 50% worse in HK. I am concerned that our baby could develop long term health problems like asthma, etc.

We hear that mid levels are great for young families, but I'm wondering how the air quality is there? Is it better on the South Side?

Thank you for your help!
 
Dear Liz,

I live in Mid-Levels and I hate to say it, but the pollution is getting really bad. I have lived in HK for 10 years and it is definitely getting worse. In fact, we are seriously considering moving out of HK and back to U.S. because the air is getting so bad! I try and take my baby for walks every day (she is 3.5 mos) and wonder if I am doing her more bad than good! I am sure it is not doing much good for her health.

There are many studies now being done in HK about air pollution and its effects on people's health. I think one study said breathing the air here was equal to smoking 8 cigarettes!

Probably the South Side would be better but again, the pollution levels in HK overall are I believe, definitely getting higher and quality of life deteriorating.
 
Thank you for your feedback. My husband loved Repulse Bay when he visited earlier this month so I'm hoping the air will be a tad better there. I feel like I get mxed information from people living over there re: the air quality and how impactful it is on people's daily lives. I am fairly certain we're moving so I guess it's chance we will have to take. Again, I really appreciate your reply.
Very best!
 
Hi there,
My baby hasn't had any problems from pollution and we live in Hung Hom, but our friends daughter has chronic bronchitis since moving here, our other friends son has a skin rash that is constant in HK, but disappears when at home for vacation and we know of many other families that have moved out to the New Territories to help their kids asthma and allergies. I always worry about the pollution too and you never know the long term effects. People here are always coughing and hacking and some newspaper writers have joked about how even at symphonies and other "quiet" venues that it sounds like a tuberculosis ward.
I know this doesn't help if you are moving here anyway, but I guess when you consider how many people live long, healthy lives here, maybe we're too worried??????
 
pollution is bad here

niutalent said:
Dear Liz,

I live in Mid-Levels and I hate to say it, but the pollution is getting really bad. I have lived in HK for 10 years and it is definitely getting worse. In fact, we are seriously considering moving out of HK and back to U.S. because the air is getting so bad! I try and take my baby for walks every day (she is 3.5 mos) and wonder if I am doing her more bad than good! I am sure it is not doing much good for her health.

There are many studies now being done in HK about air pollution and its effects on people's health. I think one study said breathing the air here was equal to smoking 8 cigarettes!

Probably the South Side would be better but again, the pollution levels in HK overall are I believe, definitely getting higher and quality of life deteriorating.
Click to expand...

Hi,
I arrived in HK a month ago and was really shocked at the pollution here. Some days are much better, and it is just like a normal city, but other days, it is impossible to breathe. I had a bad allergy the first week, and since then I check the site:
http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/
on a daily basis to know how the air quality is. Feels like checking for the weather forecast. If it is bad, I try to avoid the most polluted areas and not to exercise outside.

I am hoping to find a place in the South side, it is much better there in relation to pollution from vehicles. However, the pollution that comes from the power plants (coal) is all over the place, but a bit better on the South side.

We are also planning to have babies and I am really worried. A friend bought a device to measure pollution levels and said that it was pretty much the same whether you're indoors or outdoors. There seems to be only one purifier (as big as an air conditioner at the cost of 5000-8000HK) that can help clear the air indoors.

Sorry for the doom picture, but these are my first impressions here.
 
Hi Liz,

Our daughter is 17 months old and has had no problems so far with the pollution. But we live out in Saikung country park where motor vehicles are restricted and we hope that the trees everywhere will act like a giant pollution-sucking lung. But I commute an hour by car into town for work.

Because the pollution is visibly bad and only going to get worse, we are moving out of Hong Kong at the end of June. All of the research that has been done over the past few years shows that children here have higher rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments--and that it's due to the pollution. Pollution is insidious; the bad effects build up slowly in your lungs and respiratory system over time. It doesn't matter if you're indoors or outdoors or if you have an air purifier. You are breathing the pollution.

My friends who work at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Hong Kong, and for the government have advised me that in the near future, the pollution is only going to get worse as China increases its economy. The local HK government is only just starting to talk about doing something about the pollution--but most of our air pollution comes from southern China. China is also talking about pollution and the environment but its systems are rampantly corrupt and it will take time for any environmental measures or environmental consciousness to sink in with the polluters who want to make millions of dollars as quick as they can.

Any significant change in the pollution laws or environmental practices is probably going to take at least 5+ years to actually have an effect on our air quality--and only if they started these measures NOW and got China's cooperation and enforcement.
 
Confused! How bad is the pollution? have 7 month old baby...

I am very interested to hear what came of Liz1975's move to HK. My husband and I are are considering an offer in HK (we had actually decided to go and then began to hear pollution horror stories) and we have a 7 month old. We currently live in NYC and in consulting a pediatric pulminologist, were told that HK's pollution was not significantly worse than that of NYC. We are so confused!

I am definitely opposed to bringing my baby somewhere that will risk her health - is the pollution really so bad? Does anyone know if there are statistics that I can refer to? The HK EPD website makes it seem as though the pollution is mild/moderate. Am I missing something?

Any input/personal testimonials are welcome! I would love to have the adventure of living in Hong Kong - is the pollution really a deal-breaker?
 
The So. Californians said the pollution here is worse than greater LA and American Lung says that LA area is as bad as it gets in the USA.
The HK EPD is not using the same scale that most of the rest of the world uses and it paints a rosier picture.
Pollution can be pretty bad, though. Both ground level and upper atmosphere.
We have a 2 YO and newborn and I wonder the same things. I guess I am choosing to roll the dice and stay here. But it won't be forever, so that's my comfort. Plus I live in the NT and not near a major road so th eground level stuff isn't what it is in the bigger city.
 
Yes the pollution is bad in HK but there are kids and adults who are fine and have no problems and there are some who cant deal with it. Each individual is different. U have to make a decision yourself. We know people who came here from USA on 2-3 year contracts and could not deal with the pollution and left after their contract ended and there are some who have stayed on. U can come here and see for yourself how bad or good things are.

Best of luck
 
I think you should take a more rounded approach to the situation. So the pollution is bad - we or our children may contract asthma, or something worse but doesn't the adventure of moving to Hong Kong and all the advantages this will bring make this a calculated risk? Every decision we make has huge consequences. I think thinking less about the details and more about the whole makes for a better decision. And if you do decide to come I'm sure you will love it x
 
I am hoping that, like many illnesses, that there is a genetic predisposition to asthma and other lung problems. If we don't have asthmatics in the family, I am hoping the short-term exposure to these pollutants (short-term as in the course of a lifetime) don't cause any permanent damage.
I am not sure the "adventure" and "advantages" would outweigh the health aspects if lung problems were a certainty. Or even if there were a history of lung problems in the family or if someone already had asthma/lung problems.
 
Sleuth said:
I am hoping that, like many illnesses, that there is a genetic predisposition to asthma and other lung problems. If we don't have asthmatics in the family, I am hoping the short-term exposure to these pollutants (short-term as in the course of a lifetime) don't cause any permanent damage.
I am not sure the "adventure" and "advantages" would outweigh the health aspects if lung problems were a certainty. Or even if there were a history of lung problems in the family or if someone already had asthma/lung problems.
Click to expand...

I agree with Sleuth. And the south side is definitely a lot better than mid level.:flower:
 
jjmum said:
And the south side is definitely a lot better than mid level.:flower:
Click to expand...

South side would be better than mid level/central because there are less roads/cars (so ground level pollution is less) and the upper air pollution is mostly coming from China or out of the N and W. So S and E is the better side of HK for pollution.
Unless you live near that power station outside of Aberdeen, then your pollution is largely determined by prevailing winds.
 
Liz1975 said:
Hi All,

We are considering a move to HK and will have a 2-3 month old (our first). I have been doing a ton of reading on the pollution problem in HK and wondering if anyone has information about the potential health risks to babies? How "real" is the problem? I live in NYC, and heard that the pollution is 50% worse in HK. I am concerned that our baby could develop long term health problems like asthma, etc.

We hear that mid levels are great for young families, but I'm wondering how the air quality is there? Is it better on the South Side?

Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...

Hi Liz1975

I suggest you can also consider the Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung Area... I think they are even better than Island South as far as clean air is concerned.
 
pollution sucks big time

We live Southside, Tai Tam and still the pollution is bad. Admittedly not as bad as many other areas but still bad enough to make me feel guilty every single day. We will definitely be getting out of here as soon as we can and i believe that the 'adventure of hong kong' simply does not make up for putting your kids health (and your own) at risk. There are many other cities where you can live as an expat and have adventures without the same risk.

My two year old has had a bad, unrelenting cough for 2 months now. The doctor said it was pollution and that he also might be developing asthma and allergies. Great. My husband and i are constantly coughing and i often have very sore eyes and know immediately when i leave the house if the pollution is bad because you feel it in your eyes, lungs and on your skin. I hate to think what it is doing to my kids immunity levels, the battering they are taking and what it will mean for them later in life.

HK is not all that anymore as far as expat postings go. You shouldn't have to give up having clean air to breathe for any amount of time. The fact that HK does not use the global standard for measuring pollution says it all.
 
I spend approx 4-5 months per year in Hong Kong and during that time, I am constantly coughing and feeling unwell. I remember last year, it got so bad and I had to go to the hospital because I thought I had Pneumonia!

I live in a rural village just outside Sai Kung Town centre surrounded by mountains and trees but I spend most of the day in the city.
 
I'm going to guess that that is because there is less of an obesity/weight issue here than in the countries you mentioned.
 
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