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- Author, Esme Stallard
- Role, Climate and science reporter, BBC News
The UK is at risk of ‘uncontrolled chemicals’ which could harm people and the environment, experts say.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has called for the creation of a Chemicals Agency to take responsibility for the regulation of chemicals in the UK.
She said the increase in the use of pollutants often referred to as “always chemicals” was an example of how regulation was “falling apart”.
The government was asked to comment.
The RSC said it decided to publicly intervene after waiting more than four years for clarity on how chemicals should be regulated after the UK leaves the EU.
Before 2020, the UK and the current 27 EU countries worked together to research and monitor chemicals and set rules for their use.
After Brexit, the UK took sole responsibility for domestic chemical regulation, but there have been delays in creating the new system.
“The current regulatory regime for chemicals in the UK is not fit for purpose as it does not encourage innovation or adequately protect our waterways, land, air and built environment,” said Professor Gillian Reid, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Last month, the government announced it was consulting on a new chemical registration process – which is to be a key mechanism for the UK to monitor what chemicals are brought into the country.
The process was supposed to be in place from the day the UK officially left the EU, four years ago, in 2020. The RSC said the delay was impacting dozens of industries that operate in the UK and EU market – from cosmetics to food manufacturing. , to agriculture.
Stephanie Metzger, policy adviser at the RSC and co-author of the report, said: “Businesses are in this ‘limbo’ phase. This makes it really difficult for them to plan financially, what to invest in and decide what research they might want to do.”
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The Chemical Industries Association (CIA), the trade body for chemicals businesses, agreed its members needed clarity but said it was “premature” to call for a Chemicals Agency as it would only delay the government’s process.
The Royal Society of Chemistry says a centralized chemicals agency will also help coordinate scientific studies.
Currently, the RSC says research on different chemicals can take place across more than five government agencies, leading to “fragmentation, duplication of effort and a lack of clarity”, according to Professor Reid.
“Furthermore, the civil service is under-resourced and has difficulty recruiting and training qualified staff, making it difficult for the government to keep up with the latest developments in chemicals and testing,” she said.
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Over the past few years, there has been increasing evidence of potentially toxic chemicals such as PFAS – or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – accumulating in the UK’s soil and waterways.
High doses of these pollutants, also known as “always chemicals,” have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer and fertility problems.
Last week, researchers at Cardiff University found traces of a timeless chemical that has never been produced in the UK in an otter population in North East England.
Dr Elizabeth Chadwick of Cardiff University, who co-authored the research paper, said banning the perennial chemicals was challenging because they were widely used and there were more than 15,000 types in circulation.
“I think we need to do some work to really understand how different groups of PFAS can have slightly different toxic effects to help inform regulation,” she said.
“Which one do we really need to focus on first?”
The EU is currently exploring a possible ban on chemicals forever by 2026.