Surviving Hong Kong air pollution

A glance out of the window and you often have an idea of how clean the air is, or not, as is often the case in Hong Kong. Not only are pollutants in the air we breathe, they’re in the water we drink, the food we eat, the products we use, and the building materials that surround us every day. 

Pollutants can and do cause many problems that impact our health and wellbeing, and yet there are precautions we can take, and positive steps we can make to reduce the impact of pollution. 

Is air pollution that bad in Hong Kong?

Living in Hong Kong makes us particularly vulnerable to pollution in the air as it becomes trapped between the city’s numerous high-rises, infiltrating our homes, offices, and schools. 

According to the Hong Kong Medical Association, an Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 150 is not only bad for the sick, it is bad for everyone. Making matters worse, Hong Kong’s air quality objective for particulates is actually 180. By contrast, the World Health Organization’s recommended API objective is 50.

A recent study conducted in Hong Kong found a clear link between air pollution and public health, specifically that it causes discomfort and illness in children and adults. The study stated that between January 1995 to June 1997, air pollution control could have helped prevent the deaths of 1,600 people in Hong Kong, saved 64,000 hospital “bed days” and 6.8 million family doctor visits. Since 1995, there are twice as many “bad-air" days. Using the WHO recommendation, we currently only get about 50 safe air days per year in Hong Kong.

Recent statistics from the Hedley group suggest that air pollution contributes to around 20,000 doctors visits each year.

Air pollution is so damaging because it contains free radicals like ozone, which oxidise our tissues quickly, causing damage to our DNA. Irritants in air pollution can contain iron - another oxidant. Not only does pollution affect our respiratory system, it also affects tissues in our heart, brain and the testes in men. These free radicals can cause tissues in the brain to age faster, causing memory problems. 

Many IMI clients complain of increased respiratory symptoms, as well as a drop in their overall energy levels on the high API days. An increasing number of our clients have reported that their problems from pollution were so severe, they were considering leaving Hong Kong. There are many benefits to living in Hong Kong, but pollution is commonly mentioned as one of the major concerns.

What helps minimise the effects of air pollution?

In my clinical practice at IMI, I often find that patients with more severe intolerance to the air pollution have low levels of a detoxification enzyme called glutathione. 

Glutathione is a key nutrient for detoxification. Your body naturally produces glutathione, but many of us have a genetic mutation on the gene that helps produce glutathione - GSTM1. These people are more prone to symptoms like sneezing and an itchy, runny or stuffy nose. 

Broccoli is great for supporting those with this mutation - as it contains sulforaphane which helps stimulate other genes which produce glutathione and other antioxidants. 

It’s best when eaten raw, or cooked for a short amount of time - around 3 minutes. Broccoli sprouts are the best, most nutrient dense form - and these also come in supplement forms, like the Enduracell formulas. This formula helps stimulate glutathione for 72 hours, so you only need to take it every few days.

Vitamin C also helps boost glutathione levels and studies show that around 500mg, will increase glutathione by around 50%. I usually help to improve detoxification by boosting glutathione levels with 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 500 to 1,000 mg of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), which you can find in our dispensary. Sometimes a patient will also need some extra grape seed extract if they have respiratory symptoms as well. Over the years for many patients who were thinking of leaving the city because of pollution, this type of combination has enabled them to manage any symptoms very well.

Omega 3 supplements can combat the effects of toxins found in air pollution, and are particularly protective for both brain and heart.

Alongside the supplements, there are some other steps you can take to protect your family from air pollution:

Invest in an air filter

Invest in an effective High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) air filter, one that has a second carbon filter in the unit. HEPA filters remove the small particles, while the carbon filter removes airborne chemical pollutants called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). It is important to note that many ‘air filters’ on the market do not work sufficiently to reduce those smaller, highly toxic particles. Prior to selecting your HEPA filter, please contact us to discuss your options. We may be able to arrange for an independent complimentary air quality assessment in your home.

Limit exercise when pollution is highest

Limit exercise during the afternoon when smog and pollution levels are highest. Endurance running outdoors in Hong Kong is not good for your health due to the high particle load inhaled during a long run. For those who are keen on endurance running, I often have to support their health by supporting their detoxification capacity and increasing their antioxidant levels.

Boost your antioxidant intake

Phytonutrients, found in fresh produce, boost antioxidant levels - reducing the negative impact of free radicals found in air pollution. Though 5 is the usual recommendation for fruits and veggies, consuming 5-9 fruits and vegetables per day is the optimal number. If you do that - then you won’t need to supplement antioxidants like vitamin C into your diet.

But it’s pretty tricky to get people to eat this many fruits and vegetables - often people are only eating between 1 and 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. People prone to respiratory issues or a runny nose really do benefit from supplements with vitamins C and E to protect against pollution. An extra benefit of vitamin C is that it’s able to mop up iron particles - neutralising their oxidative effect.

When it comes to supplements, we recommend food state antioxidants featuring natural forms of vitamin C and E, like Ultimate AntiOx by Designs for Health. This formula features cofactors, which help boost the function of the nutrients.

Fresh orange juice, broccoli, guavas and kiwi fruits are high in vitamin C and offer a powerful dietary source of antioxidants.

Learn how to minimise toxins

Read our accompanying article Ten tips to tackle toxins to find out how you can make smarter choices about what you ingest – including our advice about where you source your food from; minimizing toxic chemicals in the home, including volatile organic compounds (found in everything from paints to soft furnishings and toys), ways to minimize mould, dust-mites; wise choices of cleaning products and the effective ways to filter your water.

References
Wong, C M, Ma S, Hedley, A J and Lam T H. Short-term effects of ambient air pollution on public health in Hong Kong – an APHEA-2 study. A consultancy report submitted to the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong.
Hoffmann P R, Jourdan-Le Saux C, Hoffmann F W, Chang P S, Bollt O, He Q, E K and Berry M J. A Role for Dietary Selenium and Selenoproteins in Allergic Airway Inflammation. The Journal of Immunology. September 1, 2007 vol. 179 no. 5 3258-3267