Policy issues on the control of environmental accident hazards in China and their implementation

Since the Open Door Policy was initiated in 1978, China's economy has undergone an incredible high-speed increase. However, along with the rapid economic development, some environmental problems, especially the environmental accidents, have posed a great threat to the public health and environmental security. This paper presented a brief summary of current regulations on prevention and control of environmental accident hazards in China. The regulation comprises legal requirements centering on hazardous chemicals, industrial safety evaluation, risk ananlysis and preparation of emergency plans. Further, the paper discussed the issues connected with implementation of the regulations in China. Based on the analysis and discussion, some key points that should be developed in China's future environmental accident hazards control were put forward, hoping to shed light on the decision making and risk management.