6,000 of which are highly toxic. The EPA has established a Toxic Chemicals Databank, which provides information on toxic substances used in the Taiwan Area and promotes disaster prevention and response. The databank, which is a collection of 370 entries from the foreign database HSDB and IRIS, has been printed in Chinese characters. People who wish to gain access to the Toxic Chemicals Databank should contact the EPA's Bureau of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Chemicals Control. Under the EPA's program for gathering information on pollution sources, the Report Registration and Licensing System for Stationary Pollution Sources and Hazardous Chemicals, all enterprises that work with toxic substances or that discharge waste gas, waste water, or industrial waste are required to file plans for properly disposing of their toxic output.
Companies are then assigned deadlines for setting up disposal systems.
A company that has never filed a plan for toxic waste disposal, if found to be polluting the environment, is given the heaviest penalties under the law. Conclusion People's welfare depends on the condition of the environment to a large degree. Therefore we need to effectively improve the environmental quality and safeguard natural resources for generations to come through nature conservation. Through the planning and practicing of quality environmental analysis and sound solid waste treatment policy, it is hoped our living environment will recover to a healthy state. As a member of the global village, we will also seek more participation in international environmental issues so as to fulfill our responsibility.