COMMUNICATIONS

Media Release - 24/02/2005

CDHB Water Expert Takes Knowledge to China

A Canterbury District Health Board technical expert on drinking water has been seconded to China for a month to advise on water contamination, treatment and analysis.

John Youngson who is the technical manager of the CDHB’s Drinking Water Unit leaves on Monday for the Zhong Wei County in the north of China. He will be working with John Zhang a scientist from the ESR Crown Research Institute in Christchurch for a week before leading a lecture and technical training skills course.

Mr Youngson said he would be assessing the way in which drinking water was treated. He would be conducting courses on health evaluation for drinking water, the most appropriate technology available for protecting drinking water from contamination and the health problems and counter measures for drinking water.

‘New Zealand is considered a world leader in drinking water and Canterbury plays a big part in this important area,’ Mr Youngson said. He was very pleased to be able to take the knowledge from here and ‘transport’ it to a large country where drinking water was not as pure as it is here.

‘I will also be looking at the concentrations of urban water supplies and the township water supply status of the Zhong Wei County to look at existing problems and raise improvement measures including water quality testing.’

Mr Youngson said he had been invited to lecture in several South Pacific countries on the drinking water standards introduced to New Zealand. This was the first time his expertise had been called on in China.

Ends.

Vivienne Allan
Communications Manager
021-314-796