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Since Brexit, many toxic chemicals have been banned in the EU but are still allowed for use in the UK, setting higher expectations for health risks to the public.

Even though the UK has not participated in the EU’s chemicals regulations scheme since 2021, it has its own scheme called Reach. Since 2021, eight rules banning hazardous chemicals have been adopted by the EU, and 16 more are to be added.

Currently, the UK is only contemplating two restrictions on lead ammunition and harmful substances in tattoo ink.

The latest additions to the UK’s “substances of very high concern” list were over three years ago, in June 2020, while the European Chemicals Agency has added 26 substances so far to to its equivalent list.

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The substances are primarily categorized as carcinogenic or affecting the reproductive system, in addition to being persistent in the environment and bio-accumulative. Companies are obliged to notify consumers immediately about safe levels of a chemical when it is added to the list.

Broken promises 

Chloe Alexander, of the Chem Trust charity, explained: “The EU’s regime has a very effective role in driving innovation into finding much safer alternatives to substances on that list, as the list is a sign further regulation on these substances is likely to happen. There is a deregulatory drive too; there is now a higher evidence threshold in the UK. It requires endless reviews before taking regulatory action."

“They look at what the EU is doing and say: We need more evidence. Everything is happening much slower. The EU has very thorough risk assessments, companies across the world can input into them. There is absolutely no reason why we should not adopt those EU controls, and it also poses problems for trading with the EU if we continue to fall further and further behind.”

This comes after it was discovered this week that dozens of pesticides forbidden in the EU are still permitted for use in the UK, which has prompted campaigners to state that the delays indicate vows made by ministers after Brexit may have been broken.

Back in June 2017, when the chair of the environmental audit committee asked former environment secretary Michael Gove how the UK should regulate chemicals, all he said was "better”.

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Roz Bulleid, of the Green Alliance think tank noted: “The UK played a key role in setting up the EU’s gold standard chemicals regime, and yet now we are administering our own cut-price system and lagging behind the EU in tracking and regulating harmful substances. It shows that government promises of maintaining environmental protections through Brexit are not being kept to."

“The government recently paved the way for the UK to rejoin the Horizon [research] program. It surely makes sense for this government or the next to seek greater cooperation on chemicals and enhance protection for the public and our environment.”