Another water sample contains bitumen, this time from Tai Po

發佈日期: 2025-06-15 00:40

TVB News

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A water sample from Tai Po was found to have contained bitumen after TVB News conducted laboratory analysis in conjunction with a university's research team.

After bitumen and resin were found in drinking water at Fanling's Queen's Hill Estate earlier this month, TVB News tested water samples collected from Tai Po, Sai Wan Ho, Ma On Shan, Tseung Kwun O and Kowloon Bay.

We passed the samples, stored in distilled-water bottles, along with the specimen from Queen's Hill Estate, to the research team at the Eduction University of Hong Kong for analysis.

Among 14 specimens, lab results show that water from Queen's Hill Estate and Tai Po's Fu Heng Estate contain bitumen.

Meanwhile, various impurities were found in the other samples, including plumbing tape, plastic rings and silicone sealant.

In response, the Water Supplies Department said they would investigate and follow up on the bitumen case if more information was available.

As for the impurities, the department said they could have come from peeling pipes located in the estate's internal water supply system.

Yu Wai-pui, from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said impurities could have also originated from the internal protective linings of peeling hoses or its connecting parts.

Yu explained that workers might have applied silicone sealant to the water pipes' connecting parts.

The Water Supplies Department stressed that it is not unusual to find impurities in water samples that go through an aerator on taps.

A water expert said long-term consumption of impurities can still pose health risks to individuals.

He added authorities should try to understand what it's like to stand in residents' shoes when they consider the issue.