On the morning of May 8, continuing the 9th Session, the National Assembly discussed in the hall the draft Law on Chemicals (amended).
Delegate Tran Khanh Thu (Thai Binh Delegation) mentioned the regulations on special chemicals, banned chemicals, dangerous chemicals and proposed reviewing and considering special chemicals, banned chemicals, dangerous chemicals in the research and production trial process.
Supplement the application of severe penalties in cases of violations that cause unsafety and apply higher penalties for serious violations that cause negative consequences to human health and the environment or endanger the community.
The female delegate also proposed adding measures to trace the origin, manage transportation via "electronic invoices", product traces... because the provisions of the draft law related to these chemicals are still not specific and have not shown the strictness in handling violations.
The delegate cited the Law on Chemicals and Decree 113/2017/ND-CP, although there are regulations on the purchase and sale of cyanide requiring a control certificate, the law does not specifically stipulate which conditions individuals and organizations must meet to be allowed to buy and use cyanide.
Decree 113 does not stipulate that cyanide is a banned chemical but only stipulates management conditions... At the same time, current regulations also do not stipulate that sellers must check the conditions of buyers before being allowed to sell.
This has led to a widespread buying and selling of cyanide in the market and in fact, there have been many tragic cases related to chemical poisoning in the recent past.
Therefore, the delegate suggested that the drafting committee continue to review and agree on the provisions in the decree to clearly state the groups of chemicals in accordance with the draft law under development.
The delegate proposed to add a regulation: Enterprises that want to produce/import cyanide must register specifically the purpose of use, quantity, and commit to risk management measures.
Many cyanide compounds are widely banned from use, only allowed to be used in specific industries such as gold mining, metal plating, with strict safety processes and equipment.
Strict regulations on packaging, labeling, declaration of transportation and storage. Cyanide-containing waste must be treated according to a special process, strictly prohibiting discharge into the environment.
Delegate Vo Manh Son - Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation - said that the chemical industry is one of the important economic sectors, playing an essential role in many fields such as: Production industry, agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, environmental protection, etc.
However, this is also an industry with many potential risks, requiring strict management to ensure the safety of people, the environment and the economy.
Propose that the draft law supplement regulations on the responsibility for State management of chemicals, and the need to include the responsibility of organizations in detecting, coordinating, and handling violations of chemical safety, and regulations on coordination at all levels and sectors in handling chemical emergency situations.
Research and supplement regulations on large chemical production and trading facilities having to have chemical waste treatment systems; responsibilities of organizations and individuals when chemical incidents occur; specifically regulate the force to respond to incidents at chemical facilities.
