Poison control tighter ahead of World Expo

Buyers must use real names under new measures

Antonio Sevilla (left), an artist from Spain, and Chinese artist Mora collaborate in the painting of an Easter egg with the Shanghai Expo as the theme in Shanghai on Saturday. [Gao Erqiang / China Daily]

SHANGHAI - The eastern metropolis of Shanghai is beefing up security ahead of the World Expo by requiring buyers of toxic chemicals, including rat poison and pesticide, to register their real names.

Some designated dangerous chemicals, such as perchloric acid and nitricacid, are strictly banned from being sold to individuals between April 15 and Nov 15, said a notice posted on the official website of the Shanghai municipal government on Sunday.

The notice also said local police authorities can suspend the approval of blasting operations during the period, or inform operators to suspend already-approved blasting operations.

The transportation of civil-used explosives in the city must also follow scheduled routes and times with designated drivers.

Sellers of toxic chemicals such as rat poisons and pesticides that include highly toxic elements must take down the real name of the buyers and the amount of their purchases, according to the notice.

These new rules, passed at a recent municipal government meeting, aim to "maintain public security in Shanghai during the Expo", which runs from May 1 to Oct 31, the notice said.

Security for the Shanghai Expo has become a paramount issue following a string of suicide bombings in Russia last week, which killed at least 51.

The new rule on explosives and chemicals is the latest government attempt to ensure a safe Expo.

On Saturday, the country's Minister of Public Security, Meng Jianzhu, called for nationwide coordination to bolster security for the Expo.

He made the call in an inspection tour to Suzhou in Shanghai's neighboring province of Jiangsu, where he urged police in Shanghai and its adjoining provinces to increase their security efforts.

Last week, the Ministry of Public Security and the State Post Bureau jointly issued a circular, urging postal service providers to check the ID cards of individuals who want to send mail and parcels to Shanghai during the Expo.

If necessary, postal officers can ask the senders to open the mail or parcel to check whether anything illegal is being sent, but otherwise checking the content of the mail is banned, the circular said.

These security measures are not new creations, but a legacy from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Shanghai residents seem to be at ease with the rules.

"Even without the Expo, I think sellers of dangerous chemicals should keep a record of their clients. It's a necessary procedure," said Fang Tao, a Shanghainese in his mid- 30s.

Zhang Yuan, a mailman in Shanghai for private mailing company Yuantong Express, said they had been told to check all goods before accepting them.