Question: Is an environmental impact assessment required for projects involved in the handling of hazardous chemicals?

The poster’s company is a hazardous chemicals business, and it is also required to conduct safety assessments. Article 25 of the Work Safety Law stipulates: “Mine construction projects and projects for the production or storage of hazardous substances shall undergo safety condition certification and safety assessment in accordance with **relevant regulations** respectively.” Article 17 of the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals stipulates that: “Units that produce, store, or use highly toxic chemicals shall conduct a safety assessment of their production and storage facilities once a year; units that produce, store, or use other hazardous chemicals shall conduct such assessments every two years.”

What was said on the 2nd floor is correct; storage facilities for wafers of chemicals must undergo safety assessments.

Any entity that engages in production/storage/use that causes environmental pollution must conduct an environmental assessment; it’s worth taking a look at this.

2# and 3# refer to safety assessments, while I’m talking about environmental impact assessments

Reply to 1# asd123456: Only storage and transportation require an environmental impact assessment; the items you mentioned are not listed in the hazardous chemicals management catalog.

Now, environmental impact assessments are required for building residences; of course, such assessments are even more necessary when storing hazardous chemicals.

Reply to 6# Consta: Classmate on the sixth floor, you need to be responsible in what you say – don’t talk carelessly. It’s the first time I’ve heard that methanol, benzene, and toluene are not considered hazardous chemicals. In the list of hazardous chemicals, methanol is coded as 32058, benzene as 32050, and toluene as 32052. As for what the classmate on the first floor asked, regarding the scale and type of this project, it is advisable to consult the local environmental protection authorities to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is required or only an environmental impact registration is sufficient. You can refer to the following public notice regarding the environmental impact assessment for the Guangzhou **** Storage and Transportation Project: In accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Interim Measures for Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessments, the Guangzhou Institute of Environmental Protection Science has completed the Environmental Impact Report for the Guangzhou****** Storage and Transportation Project, and is now conducting a second public announcement. The public is welcome to participate actively and offer valuable suggestions. I. Overview of the construction project: The Guangzhou****** storage and transportation project is located in Guangzhou*******, on the east side of the ******* warehousing area. The project covers an area of 68,918 square meters, with a total investment of 170,516,600 yuan, of which 8 million yuan is allocated to environmental protection measures. The products stored and transported mainly include: gasoline, diesel, MTBE, toluene derivatives, alcohols, etc. Project construction details: A total of 30 internal floating roof tanks are installed in the reservoir area, with a total storage capacity of 18.4×104 m3. The annual turnover rate is 10 times, resulting in an annual handling volume of 150×104 tons per year. There are also storage tank area auxiliary facilities and utility systems. II. Possible environmental impacts of the construction project and measures for pollution prevention and control The construction of this project will cause adverse effects such as dust and noise pollution, damage to vegetation, and soil erosion ； The potential environmental impacts during the operation period are mainly reflected in the water environment, environmental control, and noise pollution. The main environmental impacts and measures for pollution prevention are as follows: 1. Status of water pollutants and prevention measures: The wastewater generated by this project includes industrial wastewater (wastewater from tank cleaning, floor washing water, and wastewater discharged from the air compressor station), domestic sewage, and initial rainwater. This project adopts a separate system for rainwater and wastewater. The wastewater from tank cleaning, floor washing, and the oil-containing wastewater from the air compressor station is pre-treated in an on-site wastewater treatment plant; thereafter, it is discharged together with initial rainwater and domestic water to the Xiaohu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant for further treatment. After meeting the first-level standards of the second period specified in Guangdong Province’s \"Emission Limits for Water Pollutants\" (DB44/26-2001) as well as the first-level standards set by the \"Discharge Standards for Pollutants from Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants\" (GB18918-2002), the treated water is then released into the Xiaohuli River. 2. Status of air pollutants and prevention measures The air pollutants associated with this project are primarily the exhaust gases generated during the natural breathing of storage tanks, as well as during loading and unloading processes. The main pollutants include toluene, xylene, methanol, and non-methane hydrocarbons. This project adopts air pollution control measures such as nitrogen sealing for storage, dip pipe technology, and a condensation unit combined with activated carbon adsorption, which enable it to meet the emission standards specified in Guangdong Province’s \"Emission Limits for Air Pollutants\" (DB44/37-2001). As a result, the waste gases generated by the storage tanks in this project will not have a significant impact on the surrounding environment. 3. Sources of noise pollution and countermeasures for control: The main sources of noise in this project include the noise generated by the air compressors in the air compression station, the noise from various water pumps, and the noise from various loading and unloading machinery. By employing measures such as sound insulation, noise suppression, sound absorption, and vibration reduction, along with rational planning and layout of the reservoir area and the planting of greenery, the impact of noise is minimized to meet the \"Emission Standards for Environmental Noise at the Boundaries of Industrial Enterprises\". 4. Solid waste situation and prevention measures: The solid wastes generated during the operation period of this project mainly include household waste, used engine oil, chemical waste residues, and sludge produced by the sewage treatment plant. Among them, sludge, used engine oil, chemical waste residues, and saturated activated carbon all belong to hazardous waste, which must be disposed of safely by qualified entities. Household waste is transported and disposed of by the sanitation department. III. Project Risk Assessment: This project is subject to risks such as fires, explosions, and chemical leaks. In the event of such accidents, the environmental impact can be significant; therefore, the project implements comprehensive risk prevention measures. Through analysis and prediction, the impact level of project accident risks is acceptable. IV. Evaluation conclusions: The site selection for this project is reasonable and meets the needs of the economic development in Nansha District; its level of clean production is high, roughly on par with international advanced standards. However, during its development and construction, it will inevitably have some impact on the surrounding environment. It is necessary to implement effective pollution control measures as well as build appropriate infrastructure for environmental management in order to minimize these negative effects. Therefore, from an environmental protection perspective, the construction of the project is feasible. V. Methods for submitting public comments: The simplified EIA document is attached. Any organization or individual can express their personal or collective opinions to the project constructor and the unit responsible for environmental impact assessment by calling, writing, visiting, or sending an email. VI. Main matters for seeking public opinions (1) Scope of seeking public opinions: Seek public opinions and suggestions on environmental protection aspects such as the environmental impact of this project, pollution control measures, and the site selection for the project. (2) Main matters for seeking opinions: Public approval of the project ； Put forward suggestions and requirements for the construction of this project and environmental protection efforts. VII. Name and contact information of the entity responsible for the construction of the project: Constructor: Guangzhou **** Storage and Transportation Co., Ltd. VIII. Name and contact information of the environmental impact assessment agency tasked with conducting the evaluation: Environmental Impact Assessment Agency: *** Institute of Environmental Protection Sciences. IX. Period during which the public can submit comments: The public can submit their comments from February 24, 2010, to March 4, 2010.

An environmental impact assessment is necessary; these days, even building buildings requires such an assessment.

An environmental impact assessment is required, as well as a safety assessment. For detailed standards, please refer to the Environmental Law and the Work Safety Law. Additionally, all three types of products owned by your company are classified as hazardous materials