The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced new rules on the import and production of toxic chemicals, saying the rules, which require companies to render safety reports with each consignment of chemicals measuring 10 tonnes or more, are now in line with international standards.
EPA Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substances Deputy Director-General Chen Shu-ling (陳淑玲) said there are about 91,000 known chemicals in the nation, of which 304 are listed under control by the EPA.
More than 5,000 companies handle toxic chemicals during their standard operations, which include the use, transportation, storage, import, production and sale of the chemicals, Chen said.
A registration system has been established along with the rules — which will come into effect on Thursday — for better management of toxic chemicals, she said.
She said that while on paper, the rules stipulate that only companies which produce or import new types of chemicals with quantities of 1,000 tonnes or more per consignment should provide safety reports, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) requires safety reports from companies with 10 tonnes or more of any chemical, which are to be uploaded to a dedicated portal for toxic chemicals registration.
A draft of the rules had drawn criticism from environmental protection groups as being too lax, as it only required safety reports from companies that import or produce toxic chemicals in consignments greater than 1,000 tonnes.
Under the system, chemicals to be registered are divided into four brackets according to their quantities, with the first one regulating those from 1 to 10 tonnes and the last one, those amounting to 1,000 tonnes or more.
Chen said the requirement for any such chemical measuring 1 tonne or more to be accounted for is consistent with that of the EU.
Companies that fail to report information about new types of chemicals in compliance with the rules face fines of between NT$200,000 and NT$2 million (US$6,386 and US$64,000), while those who breach regulations on existing chemicals risk paying up to NT$300,000, she added.
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