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Environmental advisers call on Hong Kong government to issue clear guidelines on the use of tear gas
- Current and past members of the Advisory Council on the Environment write letter to government asking it to probe health risks associated with tear gas
- More than 9,000 rounds of tear gas have been fired in the city since anti-government protests started in June, affecting 88 per cent of residents
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Current and former government environment advisers issued an open letter on Friday asking the administration to investigate the health and environmental risks posed by the use of tear gas during the ongoing social unrest.
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More than 9,000 rounds of tear gas have been fired since anti-government protests started in June sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill. The use of tear gas is estimated to have affected 88 per cent of the city’s residents. However, the government has so far refused to release information about the composition of tear gas, sparking widespread health concerns.
“We felt concerned about the way tear gas was being used, so we started researching,” said Dr Billy Hau Chi-hang, who was a member of the council between 2013 and 2018 and a signatory to the letter.
“The picture is clear – in many countries where tear gas is used according to safety guidelines, there are no long-term effects. But, there are significant health risks if tear gas is used in narrow spaces or in large amounts on the same street,” he said.
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Hau said it was not their intention to help the government or protesters. “The government has a responsibility to tell people how to handle [tear gas] if it is using so much of it in an urban setting.”
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