(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-26 20:29

BEIJING - China's environmental watchdog blacklisted 141 products on Tuesday for causing serious pollution or posing serious environmental risks.

The list included products closely linked to people's daily life, such as warfarin, mirex, DDT and nickel-cadmium cell, said Pan Yue, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) deputy director.

The administration suggested retrieving the tax refund of 39 of the listed products after they were exported and banning the processing trade of these products.

The products were selected through a discussion of experts and relevant trade unions, according to Pan who noted SEPA would blacklist more highly-polluting products in future.

He revealed the body would set up a data bank of such products and deliver regular public reports.

"The blacklisted products placed a great negative impact on the environment. The chrome sour calcium in chrome residue, a surplus element for the production of heavy chrome sour sodium, was not only a strong carcinogen but also difficult to deal with."

China currently had about 4 million tons of chrome residue that had yet to be dealt with. It was still generating at least 500,000 tons annually, something that required a large input for treatment.

"We should not only strictly limit its production, but also ban its tax refund, so that no more pollution be generated," Pan said.

Experts estimated the treatment cost over the pollution caused by the blacklisted products accounted for 10 to 30 percent of their production costs. Pollution caused by some of the products were difficult to control.

"This move is urgently needed to safeguard people's health, curb environmental pollution and fulfill China's commitment to the international community," Pan said.