Tianjin tightens control over radioactive stone building materials
( 2003-12-08 09:36) (People's Daily)
Tianjin, a port city some 120
kilometers from the nation's capital Beijing, is clearing its market of
substandard stone building materials to minimize emission of radioactive
substances.
Starting from Thursday, the Tianjin Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau
has started a thorough checkup of the market andwould punish manufacturers and
dealers of furnishing materials with excess radiation.
"They could be fined or have their business licenses suspended,and would be
held responsible for damages to the consumers' health," said a source with the
industrial watchdog.
The move was in line with the country's newly enacted law on the prevention
of radioactive pollution, which came into effect onOct. 1.
Stone building materials are used by many Chinese urban families to tile
floors and walls, but those of poor quality couldgive off radon, a radioactive
gas that could impair the respiratory system and even cause lung cancer, experts
say.
Other radioactive substances from substandard stones could alsoendanger human
health by damaging the blood-generating, reproductive, digestive and neural
systems.
Indoor air pollution has been listed one of the top 10 threats to human
health. Unqualified household furnishing materials are a main source of
poisonous substances.
In China alone, the pollution causes a reported annual death toll of 111,000
people.
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