Our seafood shame

TODAY'S findings on seafood confirm what many have long feared: the growing pollution of Hong Kong waters is taking its toll on health and putting those who enjoy seafood at risk of poisoning themselves.

The results are frightening: 390,000 forms of bacteria were found in one test sample, while others contained potentially dangerous quantities of cadmium, a metal that can cause kidney failure.

There is no easy way to avoid the present perils. The multi-billion dollar sewage disposal scheme may eventually reduce the pollution levels over the longer term. But more immediate measures are needed. It is amazing that there are no controls or systematic checks conducted on seafood, despite the growing incidence of hepatitis. Governor Chris Patten, who has so strongly stressed his environmental credentials in the past, would do well to immediately rectify this: so that Hong Kong people can eat seafood without the risk of being poisoned.