SG 36/23
The UK has launched a consultation on potential revisions to the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation. Comments are accepted until April 27, 2023.
On March 2, 2023, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched a consultation on its proposed changes to retained Regulation (EU) 2019/2012 as amended by the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020/1358 and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2022/1293 (the ‘Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation’).
The proposed revisions are related to changes to the Stockholm Convention which the UK, as party to the Convention, must implement. Other proposed changes stem from the 2022 review of the POPs Regulation, or are in response to scientific or technical progress. These include revising Annexes I, IV and V to the POPs Regulation and two intended amendments involving four substances.
The proposed revision to Annex I of the POPs Regulation contains several important changes:
- Removes existing specific exemptions for four POPs
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds
- Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS)
- Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs, alkanes C10-C13 chloro)
- Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE, bis(pentabromophenyl) ether)
- Adds unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) exemptions for at least two POPs (hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP))
- Deletes and/or amends existing UTC exemptions for PFOA
The proposal also details the following two amendments:
- Adds perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds to Annex I of the POPs Regulation. These substances are also under consideration in the EU, Japan and New Zealand (SafeGuardS 33/23)
- Includes Dechlorane Plus (DP), Methoxychlor and UV-328 through forthcoming or future legislative updates without further public consultation if these three substances are adopted at a future Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention
According to the announcement, comments will be accepted until April 27, 2023.
The proposed revisions would be applied to England, Wales and Scotland.
SGS is committed to providing information about development in regulations for consumer products as complimentary services. Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provides a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. Contact us for more information or visit our website. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested.
© SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. This publication or website is a property of SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. All contents including website designs, text, and graphics contained herein are owned by or licensed to SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. The information provided is for technical and general information purposes only and offers no legal advice. The information is no substitute for professional legal advice to ensure compliance with the applicable laws and regulations. All information is provided in good faith “as is”, and SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, and does not warrant that the information will be error-free or meet any particular criteria of performance or quality.
