Health and Safety Code

• California's Health and Safety Code has 113 divisions of laws to protect people in the community and at home, those living in public housing and in medical facilities, and people working in public places. The Department of Public Health is responsible for enforcing these laws, and individual citizens and businesses are responsible for adhering to these policies.
  
  

HSAA

• California's HSAA law is designed to protect the public from hazardous substances in the environment and in buildings. The state will pay for 10 percent of cleanup costs associated with hazardous substances. Under this policy, people who have medical bills and who lose work because of illness or injury from hazardous substances can receive reimbursement from the government.
  
  

Properties Containing Hazardous Substances

• When California determines that hazardous substances exist on a property, the government, under HSAA, administers an investigation to determine ownership of the property. Then it designates cleanup responsibilities. After cleanup, the government determines whether the property is safe.