The imminent implementation of a new law on radioactive
pollution control will help the development and use of nuclear
technologies in China, officials said yesterday.??
The Law on Radioactive Pollution Prevention and Control was
passed on June 28 by the National People's Congress and will come
into effect on October 1.
Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA),
said nuclear energy and technology have been widely used in China
in fields such as national security and the economy.
More than 8,300 organizations or companies across China use
radioactive energy sources, he told a forum held in Beijing
yesterday on the implementation of the new law.
However, the issues of nuclear safety and radioactive pollution
control coming more and more to the fore, he said.
In China, the use of nuclear equipment entails hidden risks, the
management of radioactive energy sources is not good enough,
pollution caused by uranium mines is still serious, and nuclear
waste is posing a great threat to the environment, Xie said.
He said environmental protection departments at all levels will
strengthen their supervision of the uses of nuclear technology and
nuclear equipment either in operation or under construction.
Meanwhile, the management of nuclear waste will be improved and
environmental impact assessments will be carried out into
electromagnetic radioactivity.
In addition, a management system for the registering and
certification of nuclear-safety engineers will be established and
perfected, he said.
Li Ganjie, head of the environmental administration's department
of nuclear safety, said the new law stipulates that the State will
undertake supervise and manage radioactive pollution in a
standardized way.
The law attaches great importance to radioactive waste
management and strengthens the management of nuclear equipment
being decommissioned.
In addition, the law bans any radioactive waste or any material
contaminated by radioactivity from being imported into or passing
through China.
Lin Dingfan, general manager of the China National Nuclear Corp,
told yesterday's forum that his company will take measures to
promote the law among employees so that it can be implemented
well.
"We will further inspect our practice and put it in order
according to the law and relevant regulations," he said.
(China Daily September 29, 2003)