Announcements
CUHK Releases First Batch of Test Results on Campus Environment
To ensure campus environment safety, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) appointed an independent accredited laboratory to collect air, water and soil samples at various locations and at different times on campus and sent them for testing. The University has just received the test results of some soil (S1-S7 & S9) and water (W1-W8) samples. Here is the summary of the results compared with the guidance notes/international standards.
For Soil samples (S1-S7 & S9):
|
Contaminant |
Test results |
Reference Level |
Reference Document |
|
Dioxins |
0.0038-0.0086 ng/g |
1 ng/g |
Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Soil (Public Parks), published by Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department |
|
Total Cyanide |
< 1 mg/kg |
4,900 mg/kg |
|
|
Total PCBs |
< 0.2 mg/kg |
0.756 mg/kg |
|
|
PAHs |
< 0.500 mg/kg |
3.83-10,000mg/kg |
For water samples (W1-W8):
|
Contaminant |
Test results |
Reference Level |
Reference Document |
|
Dioxins |
4.6-4.8 pg/L |
30 pg/L |
Drinking Water Standards from USEPA |
|
Total Cyanide |
< 0.05-0.10 mg/L |
0.2 mg/L |
|
|
Total PCBs |
< 0.50 µg/L |
0.5 µg/L |
|
|
PAHs |
< 0.1 µg/L |
0.1-0.4 µg/L |
*The unit “µg/L” might be displayed as “mg/L” on some PCs due to the PC settings. Please note that the unit of test results and reference level for Total PCBs and PAHs is “µg/L” (micro gramm per liter).
Conclusion
From the test results issued by our appointed laboratory, the dioxins levels for soil samples (S1-S7 & S9) are well below the Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Soil (Public Parks) as stated in Guidance Manual for Use of Risk-Based Remediation Goals for Contaminated Land Management published by Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. It reveals that the hazards or risks to human health arising from exposure to soil are minimal, and measures to protect public health, including a cleanup, would not be necessary. The values of dioxins level for water samples (W1-W8) are not significant compared to the drinking water standards from United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
For the other testing parameters, Total Cyanide, Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) for soil (S1-S7 & S9) and water (W1-W8) samples, are well below their respective limits as required by the related reference documents. This implies that the health hazards from these contaminants in soil and water samples are negligible.
For the remaining soil, water and air samples, the University will release the test results immediately upon receipt.
Related information may be viewed here.
