China's top judicial organs on Monday issued a judicial interpretation clarifying situations where serious pollution should be sanctioned by criminal penalties.

The explanation by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) defined 18 conditions as "seriously polluting the environment," which constitute of environmental crime.

Behavior such as falsification of environmental monitoring data and gains through illegal discharge exceeding 300,000 yuan (45,000 US dollars) are criminal offences, said Yan Maokun, director of SPC's research office.

The judicial interpretation also clarifies "particularly serious consequences," which includes illegal disposal of more than 100 tonnes of hazardous waste, causing illness to more than 100 people or more than one death, Yan said.

Violators could be subject to imprisonment of up to seven years and monetary fines, Yan added.

China saw 4,636 cases of environmental crime between July 2013 and October 2016, 4,250 of which are now closed. A total of 6,439 people were convicted.