Antibiotics and diabetic medication among record number of pharmaceutical pollutants found in Hong Kong river by global study
- Study led by British university finds 34 different medication types in Kai Tak River, highest variety among 258 waterways
- City University professor says large population in Hong Kong placing “huge” strain on natural environment
A river flowing through one of Hong Kong’s urban centres was called the world’s most polluted waterway in terms of the variety of pharmaceuticals it contained after a global study uncovered traces of 34 different drug types.
Traces of antibiotics, caffeine and painkillers, as well as medications for neuropathic pain, diabetes and stomach acid relief, were found in samples taken from the Kai Tak River as part of a study led by the University of York in Britain.
Many of the same pharmaceuticals were also reported in Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen River, which was also chosen to be part of the study.
The global research effort involved 127 scientists taking samples from 258 rivers in 104 countries and regions between 2017 and 2019 and sending them to the University of York for further analysis.
The study selected the Kai Tak River, which flows across East Kowloon into Victoria Harbour, because of the presence of sewage treatment plants in Sha Tin and Tai Po which discharged processed waste water into it.
City University Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee, who collaborated in the global study, said they had tested the water for 61 medications and uncovered traces of 34 types in the river, making it the world’s most polluted waterway in terms of the variety of pharmaceuticals present.
