Soil Contamination Strictly Regulated in China
On 31 August 2018, the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law (土壤污染防治法) was adopted by the National People’s Congress, which enters into force on 1 January 2019. Pursuant to the Law of 31 August 2018, national standards for soil pollution risk control will be set by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment based on soil contamination status, public health risks and ecological risks. The Law also states that a nationwide soil condition census should be conducted at least once every 10 years. A network of monitoring stations will be established nationwide, with data and other information collected shared among authorities in environmental, agricultural, natural resources, housing, water resources, health and forestry and grassland sectors. Environmental and health authorities of the State Council are required to conduct screening and evaluation of toxic and harmful substances in the soil and make public a list of them. The central and provincial-level governments will establish funds to prevent and control soil pollution. Farmland polluters are required to make rehabilitation plans, put them on government record, and carry out the plans. Upon completion, polluters should entrust professional institutions to evaluate the effects and report the results to local governments. The Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law includes 99 articles in seven chapters, including ones titled “Planning, Standards, General Survey, and Monitoring” (Ch. 2), “Prevention and Protection” (Ch. 3), “Risk Control and Restoration” (Ch. 4), and “Safeguard and Oversight” (Ch. 6).
It means that all previously existing technical standards will have strict legal foundation. Amongst others, they include:
- Soil Determination of dry matter and moisture Gravimetric method (土壤 干物质和水分的测定 重量法) (HJ 613-2011)
- Determination of Tetramine in Soil Gas Chromatography (土壤 毒鼠强的测定 气相色谱法) (HJ 614-2011)
- Technical Guidelines for Site Environmental Investigation (场地环境调查技术导则) (HJ 25.1-2014)
- Soils and sediments Determination of volatile organics Headspace/Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (土壤和沉积物 挥发性有机物的测定 顶空/气相色谱-质谱法) (HJ 642-2013)
- Soils and sediments Determination of volatile organic compounds Headspace/gas chromatography (土壤和沉积物 挥发性有机物的测定 顶空/气相色谱法) (HJ 741-2015)
- Soils and sediments Determination of volatile organic compounds Purge and capture/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (土壤和沉积物 挥发性有机物的测定 吹扫捕集/气相色谱-质谱法) (HJ 605-2011)
- Soils and sediments Determination of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons Headspace/Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (土壤和沉积物 挥发性卤代烃的测定 顶空/气相色谱-质谱法) (HJ 736-2015)
- Soils and sediments Determination of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons Purge and capture/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (土壤和沉积物 挥发性卤代烃的测定 吹扫捕集/气相色谱-质谱法) (HJ 735-2015)
- Soils and sediments Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (土壤和沉积物 多氯联苯的测定 气相色谱-质谱法) (HJ 743-2015)
- Soils and sediments Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons High-performance liquid chromatography (土壤和沉积物 多环芳烃的测定 高效液相色谱法) (HJ 784-2016)
- Soils and sediments Determination of acrolein, acrylonitrile, acetonitrile Headspace-gas chromatography (土壤和沉积物 丙烯醛、丙烯腈、乙腈的测定 顶空-气相色谱法) (HJ 679-2013)
- Soil Determination of Total Phosphorus Alkali-Molybdenum Antimony Spectrophotometric Method (土壤 总磷的测定 碱熔-钼锑抗分光光度法) (HJ 632-2011)
