Clean Air for Better Health

The World Environment Day (WED) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and is commemorated on 5 June each year. It aims to stimulate worldwide awareness of protecting the environment. To echo the global slogan of "Melting Ice - a Hot Topic?" this year, "Clean Air" is set as the local theme for WED 2007 to promote energy saving and dress-down in workplace.

Polluted air polluting health
Apart from closely related to the lifestyle we adopt personally, our health is also affected by the environment we live in. The air quality of our environment is an issue which should concern us all. Air pollutants will have various negative impacts on the health of individuals:

• Respiratory system
  • Cause inflammation of the lung and airways
  • Impair lung function
  • Trigger asthmatic attacks and aggravate chronic bronchitis
  • Increase risk of respiratory diseases such as acute lower respiratory infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer
• Heart - increase risk of developing cardiovascular diseases
• Eyes - cause irritation of the eyes

Cleaner air
To address public concerns over air pollution in recent years, the government has taken the lead by promoting energy saving and dress-down in workplace, as part of the concerted and collective efforts to give the population cleaner air.

What YOU can do
You can sure help by changing your personal habits or practices to avoid feeding more pollutants into the air and by conserving energy.

• Directly reducing air pollutants
  • Take public transport instead of driving your own car whenever possible
  • Switch off the car engine when the car is parked
  • Do not smoke
  • Refrain from using environmentally-unfriendly aerosol products such as hair sprays, furniture polish, deodorants and pesticides
• Saving energy
  • Reduce the need for using electric fan or air conditioning by dressing down and light such as not wearing a jacket or a tie
  • Use electric fan instead of air-conditioning when possible
  • Set the temperature of the air-conditioner at 25.5 ^oC or higher
  • Close all doors and windows when using air-conditioning
  • Switch off electrical appliances, such as light, air-conditioner, television and computer, when they are not in use
  • Avoid using stand-by mode when switching off electrical appliances such as television and computer
  • Use energy-saving electrical domestic appliances such as energy-saving light bulbs and energy-efficient electrical products

Remember, be nice to the environment, be nice to yourself!

For further information on how to help clean the air and save energy, you may wish to visit the website of the Environmental Protection Department.

(Last Updated on 04-06-2007)