Replies to LegCo questions
LC Urgent Q2: Health risks posed by Legionella bacteria to the staff at Tamar
Following is a question by Dr Hon Priscilla Leung under Rule 24(4) of the Rules
of Procedure and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in
the Legislative Council meeting today (January 11):
Question:
Since the Secretary for Education was found to have contracted Legionnaires'
disease in December last year, the authorities have conducted sampling checks of
water at various locations at the new Central Government Complex (new CGC) and
the Legislative Council Complex (LegCo Complex) at Tamar, and Legionella
bacteria have been found in a number of the water samples. In less than six
months since the occupation of the new CGC and LegCo Complex, such a serious
bacteria breeding problem has already occurred; and there have been media
reports that since the occupation of the new CGC and LegCo Complex, internal
remedial works have been continuously carried out, and the pollutions caused by
the dust and chemical materials generated during this period have caused the
staff at the aforesaid sites to have fallen ill one after another. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the total number of water samples taken from the water taps at the new
CGC and LegCo Complex by the Department of Health for testing as at this
Tuesday, and among them, the number of samples confirmed to contain Legionella
bacteria; whether the immediate remedial measures currently taken by the
authorities are sufficient to completely eliminate the threat of the bacteria
and fully care for the health of the staff at the aforesaid sites;
(b) at present remedial works are still being carried out continuously each day
at the new CGC and LegCo Complex, whether this is due to the rush to move in
before completion of the works, and when the remedial works are expected to be
thoroughly completed; whether the authorities will immediately conduct a
comprehensive risk assessment in respect of the pollutions caused by the dust
and chemical materials generated during the remedial works, so as to ensure that
Legionnaires' disease or other diseases will not be triggered, or serious health
risks will not be posed to staff; and
(c) whether the authorities will pursue with the related persons over the
responsibility of this incident; and whether they will, by learning a lesson
from the incident, immediately require prior checking of water supply systems in
all newly completed buildings to ensure the cleanliness before approving the
occupation of the buildings?
Reply:
President,
My reply to Dr Hon Priscilla Leung's question, with input from various
Government departments incorporated, is as follows:
(a) On December 22, 28 and 29, 2011, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP)
collected a total of 43 water samples before cleansing operations at the Central
Government Offices (CGO), the Chief Executive's Office, the Legislative Council
(LegCo) Complex and Tamar Park. According to the final laboratory testing
results, 23 water samples taken at 19 locations were found to contain bacteria
exceeding standards, with the level ranging from 0.7 to 14.2 colony forming
units per millilitre (cfu/ml). Details are set out in the Annex.
Cleansing and disinfection operations have been carried out in phases and were
fully completed on January 8. The disinfection procedures referred to the
guidelines of the British Standards Institute. The water supply system and water
outlets were soaked with hyperchlorinated water for at least one hour in order
to kill Legionella bacteria, then flushed with water such that chlorine levels
reverted to drinking water standards recognised by the Water Supplies Department
(WSD).
Following the cleansing and disinfection operations, CHP, the Architectural
Services Department (ArchSD) and the Water Supplies Department took about 400
post-cleansing water samples at CGO, the Chief Executive's Office, LegCo Complex
and Tamar Park. Laboratory testing is under way. In addition, the Henry Fok
Professor in Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, the University of
Hong Kong, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, conducted testing after the cleansing and
disinfection operations. Among the 227 samples taken at showers and water taps,
only 1 was found to contain a small amount of genetic fragment of Legionella
bacteria.
The Chief Secretary for Administration's preceding reply has set out in detail
health measures adopted by the Administration for staff of CGO and LegCo. This
includes the setting up of health seminars and briefings, a telephone hotline
and a designated help desk at Ruttonjee Hospital. I shall not repeat here.
(b) The second part to the question is about remedial works. The Tamar
Development Project is in no way rushed. The works contract was signed in 2008
for a period of 39 months and was completed in 2011. As in other construction
projects, it is normal for remedial works to be required after taking over the
building.
In addition, the Administration has received a number of suggestions from
relevant organisations or users. The Administration will consider these and
suitably enhance the design, such as the improvement of barrier-free facilities.
These works may only be followed up one-by-one after users move in.
As in the case of all new buildings, remedial works and adjustments are expected
at the initial periods of moving in. ArchSD will urge its contractor to complete
the remedial works as soon as possible. ArchSD has always strictly implemented
quality control and will follow established procedures and standards for
inspection on acceptance, to ensure that requirements are met. It will certainly
not accept works that are not in compliance with requirements or safety
standards. According to the terms of contract, the contractor shall be
responsible for remedial works and follow up on sub-standard items during the
warranty period.
While remedial works are in progress, the contractor shall take appropriate
measures such as portioning of the works area, the use of protective barriers,
and the adoption of noise and dust barriers. It shall also co-ordinate the
timing of works to minimise impact and disruption to users' daily operations. In
fact, most of the remedial works have been arranged to take place during
weekends or holidays.
If colleagues with chronic illnesses are worried about their working
environment, or if any colleagues feel unwell, they may consult medical
practitioners.
(c) It has always been the Government's target for the Tamar Development Project
to be completed in 2011 and to commission it in phases. Construction and
acceptance have generally been on schedule. The procedures and standards of
construction and acceptance were in strict accordance with relevant legislation,
codes of practice and works-related guidelines. The Government has been
following WSD's established guidelines and conducted tests on water quality
prior to commissioning the CGO building. In fact, the World Health
Organization's guidelines on drinking water do not carry requirements on testing
Legionella bacteria. WSD does not make such requirements either.
At present, relevant departments are investigating the cause of the incident.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung presented some of his preliminary analysis at the press
conference on January 9. He said that there has been a lapse in time between the
completion and commissioning of CGO, which meant low water usage rates on
certain floors. Infrequent water flow, stagnation of water and relatively low
temperatures of water heaters might cause the growth of bacteria. ArchSD will
study the investigative results from various parties and work with the
Prevention of Legionnaire's Disease Committee, the University of Hong Kong and
relevant departments, in order to review the design, testing and inspection of
water supply systems and make relevant improvements.
Ends/Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:26
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Annex