Nearly half of all fireworks made in China fail to
meet basic quality standards, according to a survey released on
January 23 by the State Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ).
"The standards of many small and medium-sized
fireworks producers in townships and villages do not meet state
requirements," said Zhang Guanghua, director of the State
Administration of Work Safety's Chemical Safety Supervision and
Management Department.
A spot check was conducted on 120 producers in
seven provinces by the SAQSIQ and found that only 57 percent of the
fireworks checked met quality standards.
Four defects were identified during the
inspection.
Thirty-four percent failed the inspection due to
too-short or too-long blasting fuses, which could potentially cause
injury if a person does not move away in time or re-approaches to
investigate a delay.
Another major defect was the use of banned
chemicals, substances that burn or explode too easily.
One-fifth of the products were found to have hidden
safety problems, which could lead to fire or detonation too close
to the ground.
The packaging of 19 of the brands was not in line
with requirements, which could lead to accidents in
transportation or storage.
Inferior fireworks cause fire and injuries every
year, and pose a great threat to public safety. "Deficient
factories will be closed or improved," Zhang said, and managers
brought to account.
In March, five new national standards on fireworks
will come into effect to guarantee quality improvements.
Standards are a major concern for the public during
this, and other festive seasons as it is traditional to
use fireworks to celebrate.
"Every
Spring Festival we set off fireworks to celebrate the Lunar New
Year and have a great time," said Han Xiaofei, from Tieling City,
northeast China's Liaoning
Province.
In the city's Changtu County, a tragic explosion
took place in December 2003 that killed 38 and wounded another
44.
Han's family always takes protective measures when
lighting fireworks, because small quality problems are common, he
said.
Since the 1990s, many cities, including Beijing,
have adopted firework bans. But 105 cities, including Shanghai,
Nanjing, Qingdao and Hangzhou, have relaxed their bans for the
festive period.
(China Daily February 7, 2005)