‘Dirty’ air in subdivided flats pose health hazards
Air in 35 per cent of units surveyed contain six times more bacteria than in good-quality air, study shows
Air in subdivided units can contain six times as much airborne bacteria than that in good-quality air, research shows.
And this poses environmental-hygiene hazards to residents, increasing their risks of contracting and infecting others with communicable diseases.
In a study jointly conducted by the World Green Organisation and the Baptist University, researchers looked at the condition of air in 20 subdivided units in Tsuen Wan, Mong Kok, Kwun Tong and Kwai Chung between July and September last year.
The study found that in seven of the 20 units surveyed, indoor bacterial counts ranged from 1,168 standard units – or colony-forming units (CFU) – per cubic metre to more than 6,535 CFU per cubic metre.
This was well above the maximum standard of 1,000 CFU per cubic metre that defines good-quality air under Hong Kong’s Air Quality Index.
“The results are quite shocking,” said Baptist University biology professor Dr Lai Ka-man, one of the researchers.
“Many people may think residents in subdivided units don’t care about hygiene, but it’s not like that. It’s their living environment that has caused many hygiene problems.”