HONG KONG – Drinking water samples taken from a Wan Chai non-residential building were found to contain excessive amount of lead, the government said on Wednesday.

According to the Water Supplies Department, water samples taken from the building contained 17 micrograms of lead per litre, which is 7 micrograms higher than Hong Kong’s permitted standard.

According to the Water Supplies Department, water samples taken from the building contained 17 micrograms of lead per litre, which is 7 micrograms higher than Hong Kong’s permitted standard

The samples were among those collected by the department from 15 consumers' taps between Oct 25 and Oct 29.

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It is the first time that a sample has failed to meet the standard since the launch of the Enhanced Water Quality Monitoring Programme in December 2017.

The program was among a series of new measures launched by the government after drinking water in private and public estates in Kowloon was found to be tainted with lead in 2015.

The department said it had demanded the building’s manager to notify all occupiers about the problem and take preventive and mitigation measures.

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Apart from using alternative drinking water sources such as distilled water, those responsible for the building have to hire a qualified consultant to look into the case promptly and fix the problem, the department added.

It will keep a close eye on the progress and may take follow-up actions if the problem is no fixed within a reasonable time frame, the department said.