The tide of eco-refugees is rising. Edo de Waart, of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, made headlines this week when he said he was moving his family from Hong Kong to escape our ghastly air pollution. He's not the first to transplant his young family because of the poison we breathe. He will certainly not be the last.
The situation rightly worries the business community. While there are no solid figures to reflect the full scale of the exodus, everyone seems to know somebody who has left because they are no longer prepared to risk the health of their children.
We're becoming the 'Typhoid Mary' of world cities.
The situation worries businessmen. The fact that people are leaving Hong Kong or will not come here is no urban myth; it's stark reality.
The American Chamber of Commerce is doing a study on the situation, says executive director Jack Maisano. Last year an AmCham survey showed four out of five business leaders knew professionals who were considering leaving the city.