A study into air quality in Hong Kong has compared the pollution to an infectious disease, costing the city US$2.7bn a year while leading to 1,600 deaths, 6.8m doctors’ visits and 64,000 hospital bed-days.

“If this was an infectious disease there would be a crisis,” said Anthony Hedley of the University of Hong Kong’s school of public health.

“This is a medical emergency.”

Sam Bond

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