The government has announced that they will install water filters at the three estates which have been confirmed to have lead content in the water supply above World Health Organisation standards.
On Friday, the government said that the original contractor will pay for and install water filters for the three affected estates, namely Kai Ching Estate, Kwai Luen Estate Phase (II) and Wing Cheong Estate. The water filters will be purchased from abroad and will be NSF 53 certified, meaning they will be able to filter out lead contaminants.
The three estates are home to more than 8,000 households. However no completion time for the installation has been given.
The government added that it will expand the scope of water sampling to all public housing in Hong Kong, starting with 27 public estates whose construction was completed between 2005 and 2010.
On Tuesday, 39 mothers and children under the age of six were confirmed to have elevated levels of lead content in their blood. The waiting list for blood testing increased to over 900 people earlier this week.
Last Saturday, the government first confirmed that the Kai Ching Estate had lead concentrations in its water supply exceeding WHO standards. Contamination was soon detected at two other estates last Tuesday and on Monday. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying recently announced the establishment of an Independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the issue.
