MEP Order No 22: Current Status and Future Direction

The harmful effects of chemicals can be broadly categorized as acute or chronic. This broad distinction also serves as a regulatory divide for management of chemicals from a work safety and environmental perspective. In China hazardous chemicals are primarily governed by two authorities, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). The former is in charge of preventing chemical accidents in the work place, which generally involving the “acute risks”, while the MEP focuses on health, emission, and other environmental concerns.