Xinjiang tightens control over chemicals

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-09 00:28

URUMQI: Buyers of dangerous chemical products in Xinjiang will now be required to register identification, a measure that the government said was aimed at maintaining safety in the workplace.

The order was made public after Urumqi imposed an overnight traffic control Monday in the wake of the syringe attacks that triggered public anxiety and mass protests.

Companies or individuals must provide business licenses or ID cards when purchasing any kind of chemical products, says the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Government.

In addition, certificates authorizing purchase issued by public security administrations would be necessary to buy toxic chemical products, according to rules jointly issued by the autonomous region's Work Safety Supervision Administration, Public Security Administration, and the Industrial and Commercial Bureau.

Only licensed vendors are allowed to sell chemical products and they must keep records of all necessary information, including the proposed use of the products. The key chemical products were not itemized.

The notice was implemented five days after Xinjiang's Food and Drug Supervision Administration issued a provisional regulation to reinforce supervision over the use of special drugs on September 3, when massive protests broke out across the city against frequent needle stabbings on innocent residents.

The regulation stipulated a wider range of monitoring measures on the production, material purchase and sales of special drugs at hospitals, scientific and research institutions, and educational organizations.

Those which fail to keep records of relative information or report to the supervision authorities in time will face strict punishment, including business suspension or the revocation of operating licenses.