Futuristic Chinese landscape symbolizing environmental protection and chemical safety, featuring a stylized wastewater treatment plant and visual cues representing scientific analysis.

Is What You're Buying Safe? How China is Revamping Chemical Risk Assessment

Jordan Keane in Climate & Environment August 2025 • 6 min read.

"Navigating Consumer Product Safety: A Look at China's Environmental Risk Assessment Framework and What it Means for You."

In today's world, where global trade connects consumers with products from every corner of the globe, ensuring the safety of the chemicals used in these products is paramount. For years, developed regions like the United States, Canada, and the European Union have had well-established methodologies for environmental risk assessment (ERA) of consumer product chemicals. But what about emerging economies like China, a major player in global manufacturing? The good news is, China is stepping up its game, developing a comprehensive framework to assess and manage the environmental and health risks associated with consumer product chemicals.

This initiative is driven by a growing awareness of environmental issues and a desire to align with international standards. The development of this framework is not just a regulatory exercise; it reflects a broader commitment to protecting both the environment and public health. It is designed to address the unique conditions and challenges within China, considering factors such as diverse infrastructure, varying consumer habits, and specific environmental conditions. This framework is tiered, meaning it uses different levels of assessment depending on the potential risk, starting with simpler qualitative methods and moving to more complex quantitative analyses. This allows for efficient screening and prioritization of chemicals that may pose a risk.

The implications of this new ERA framework are far-reaching. For consumers, it promises greater transparency and assurance regarding the safety of products they purchase. For manufacturers, it sets a clear roadmap for compliance and encourages the development of safer alternatives. And for the environment, it offers a pathway towards reducing pollution and protecting ecosystems. Understanding the key components of this framework is essential for anyone interested in consumer product safety, environmental protection, and the future of sustainable manufacturing.

Understanding China's Tiered Risk Assessment Approach: From Basic Screening to In-Depth Analysis

Futuristic Chinese landscape symbolizing environmental protection and chemical safety, featuring a stylized wastewater treatment plant and visual cues representing scientific analysis.

China's new environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework for consumer product chemicals uses a tiered approach, meaning it employs different levels of assessment depending on the potential risk. This allows for efficient screening and prioritization of chemicals. The framework starts with a basic Tier Zero assessment and progresses to more complex quantitative analyses in Tiers One and Two. Let's break down each tier:

Tier Zero: Qualitative Assessment. This initial tier relies on existing Chinese regulatory qualitative methods. It involves scoring chemicals based on exposure and hazard potential. The exposure score considers factors like production volume, usage type, and degradability. The hazard score is based on China's National Classification Standard, which aligns with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classifying and labeling chemicals. The environmental risk is determined by multiplying the exposure and hazard scores. If the resulting risk score is low (below 2), no further action is needed. However, if the score is high (greater than 2), the chemical moves to the next tier for more detailed assessment.

Tier One & Two: Quantitative Assessment. These tiers involve more in-depth quantitative analyses using deterministic and probabilistic methods. They take into account factors such as per capita residential water usage, wastewater treatment capabilities, and dilution factors in rivers and streams.
Urban vs. Rural Considerations: Recognizing the significant differences between urban and rural regions in China, the framework incorporates two distinct scenarios for assessing environmental exposure. One scenario focuses on urban areas with wastewater treatment, while the other addresses rural areas without wastewater treatment, where direct discharge of wastewater is common.
The Chera Model: To facilitate these assessments, a model called Chera (China Environmental Risk Assessment) has been developed. This model incorporates all the equations and functions needed to conduct China-specific environmental risk assessments, including both qualitative and quantitative tiers, as well as urban and rural scenarios.

By using a tiered approach, China's ERA framework ensures that chemicals with the highest potential risk receive the most thorough evaluation, while also allowing for efficient screening of a large number of chemicals. This approach is consistent with international best practices and reflects a commitment to protecting both the environment and public health.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Chemical Risk Assessment in a Globalized World

China's efforts to develop and implement a robust environmental risk assessment framework for consumer product chemicals represent a significant step forward in protecting both the environment and public health. By adopting a tiered approach that considers the unique conditions within China, this framework provides a practical and effective means of screening, prioritizing, and managing chemical risks. As global trade continues to connect consumers with products from around the world, it is essential that all countries, especially major manufacturing hubs like China, have robust systems in place to ensure the safety of the chemicals used in these products. This framework not only benefits China but also sets a positive example for other emerging economies, promoting greater transparency, accountability, and sustainability in the global marketplace.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1002/etc.4300, Alternate LINK

Title: Development Of Environmental Risk Assessment Framework And Methodology For Consumer Product Chemicals In China

Subject: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Journal: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Ming Fan, Zhengtao Liu, Scott Dyer, Thomas Federle, Xiaonan Wang

Published: 2018-12-17

Everything You Need To Know

What is China doing to ensure the safety of chemicals in consumer products?

China is developing a comprehensive environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework to assess and manage the environmental and health risks associated with consumer product chemicals. This initiative aims to align with international standards and address specific conditions and challenges within China, such as diverse infrastructure, varying consumer habits, and environmental conditions. The framework uses a tiered approach, beginning with qualitative methods and advancing to complex quantitative analyses based on potential risk. While the assessment of the framework is explained, the practical steps for manufacturers to comply with the ERA are not mentioned.

How does China's tiered environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework work for consumer product chemicals?

China's ERA framework employs a tiered approach, starting with a Tier Zero qualitative assessment based on existing Chinese regulatory methods. This involves scoring chemicals based on exposure and hazard potential, using factors like production volume, usage type, degradability, and China's National Classification Standard (aligned with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System - GHS). Chemicals with higher risk scores (above 2) proceed to Tiers One and Two, which involve in-depth quantitative analyses using deterministic and probabilistic methods. The framework also considers urban and rural scenarios, and uses the Chera (China Environmental Risk Assessment) model to facilitate these assessments. Details on specific chemical substances that are commonly used, and how they are handled in this process, is not provided.

What are the implications of China's new ERA framework for consumers, manufacturers, and the environment?

For consumers, the new ERA framework promises greater transparency and assurance regarding the safety of purchased products. For manufacturers, it establishes a clear roadmap for compliance and encourages the development of safer alternatives. Environmentally, it offers a pathway towards reducing pollution and protecting ecosystems. However, the framework's success depends on effective implementation, enforcement, and continuous improvement to adapt to new challenges and scientific advancements. Also, while the assessment steps are explained, the article does not mention the penalties for non-compliance.

What is the Chera model, and how does it contribute to China's environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework?

The Chera (China Environmental Risk Assessment) model incorporates all the equations and functions needed to conduct China-specific environmental risk assessments. It includes both qualitative and quantitative tiers, as well as urban and rural scenarios. This model facilitates the risk assessment process by providing a standardized and comprehensive tool for evaluating the environmental risks associated with consumer product chemicals. The model’s development ensures that assessments are tailored to China's unique environmental conditions and regulatory requirements, enhancing the accuracy and relevance of the ERA framework. The framework is useful, but it is not explained how the model stays updated with the changes in chemical research, and regulations.

How does China's environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework address the differences between urban and rural areas?

Recognizing the significant differences between urban and rural regions in China, the ERA framework incorporates two distinct scenarios for assessing environmental exposure. One scenario focuses on urban areas with wastewater treatment, while the other addresses rural areas without wastewater treatment, where direct discharge of wastewater is common. This differentiation allows for a more accurate assessment of the potential environmental impacts of chemicals in different settings, reflecting the varying levels of infrastructure and waste management practices across the country. However, the framework does not detail how it handles the transition from rural to urban as development occurs. It also does not address informal or unregulated waste disposal practices.