Good Idea! Chinese Gov Proposes Limits On Toxic Metals In Cropland [View all]

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The standards, which have been released so the public can comment, would add more chemicals to the list of those monitored and put stricter requirement on pollutant levels, especially for farmland.

Land pollution has become one of the public's top concerns, but plans to update national soil quality standards have run into obstacles. The current standards base the maximum levels of major kinds of pollutants on the land's designated purpose and include a mechanism for monitoring pollution.

Environmental experts have long complained that the standards, which took effect in 1996, are outdated. A land pollution survey, released in April 2014 after eight years work, indicated that 16.1 percent of the country's land contains excessive levels of pollutants. Nearly one-fifth of tested farmland was found to be heavily polluted.

Calls for stricter standards have risen, but several environmental experts said that despite the fact a draft has been published, government agencies and academics are still debating details and no timetable has been set for the new standards to take effect.

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http://english.caixin.com/2015-01-27/100778811.html