Law on sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.

The Law consists of 7 Sections composed of 50 articles dealing with the following matters: 1) general provisions (sect. 1, arts. 1-6); 2) the state regulation in the sphere of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population (sect. 2, arts. 7-12); 3) the rights and the duties of the Belarusian nationals, foreigners, stateless persons, individual entrepreneurs and organizations in the sphere of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population (sect. 3, arts. 13-20); 4) general requirements for the ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population (sect. 4, arts. 21-38); 5) bodies, institutions and officials authorized to carry out the state sanitary supervision (sect. 5, arts. 39-45); 6) departmental sanitary supervision, industrial and social sanitary supervision (sect. 6, arts. 46-49); 7) liability (sect. 7, art. 50). The present Law establishes legal and organizational basis for the prevention and the liquidation of adverse environmental impact on human organism and regulates the activity of the state bodies, legal and natural persons as regards ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. Human habitat shall be considered part of environment, including natural components thereof (atmospheric air, water, soil), and also potable water and foodstuffs (art. 1). Sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population shall be ensured by: 1) licensing of activities potentially hazardous to human health; 2) certification of produce and services potentially hazardous to human health (art. 5). Sanitary regulations shall be mandatory and shall set safety criteria for human beings (hygienic standards) of the objects of human habitats (atmospheric air, surface water and groundwater, soil), vital activity, alimentary raw materials, foodstuffs and potable water (art. 8). Projects of complex nature management and protection of water resources, rates of maximum permissible hazardous impact on human habitat, projects of sanitary protection zones around the sources of potable water supply shall be subject to the state sanitary and hygienic expertise (art. 10). Foodstuffs shall be subject to the state hygienic registration (art. 11). The socio-hygienic monitoring shall be based upon data regarding public catering and nutrition, and also the data on environmental monitoring (art. 12). The citizens shall be granted access to information regarding the state of environment, foodstuffs and potable water (art. 15). Alimentary raw materials and foodstuffs must comply with the sanitary requirements. Trade of uncertified foodstuffs shall be prohibited. Elaboration and manufacturing of new foodstuffs, packages and food additives shall be carried out in conformity with authorization issued by the state sanitary supervision bodies (art. 26). Potable water must comply with the sanitary standards (art. 30).