Hong Kong govt criticised over plastic spill on beaches
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HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Hundreds of millions of potentially toxic plastic pellets from shipping containers knocked off a vessel during Hong Kong's worst typhoon in 13 years have washed up on its beaches where they lay for more than a week, activists say.
The Hong Kong government estimated that 150,000kg of the pellets may have been spilled on its beaches, Hong Kong television reported on Saturday.
Local media questioned the government's lack of public notice about the spill, almost two weeks after Typhoon Vincente, which was upgraded to Signal 10, the first time since 1999 that the city's meteorological body invoked its highest measure.
While the pellets are harmless in their original state, they absorb toxins and pollutants over time and could poison the food chain when marine creatures consume them.
