SG 159/23
The United Kingdom has revised its legislation on persistent organic pollutants for Great Britain. The latest amendment became effective on November 16, 2023
In 2023, the United Kingdom government issued two pieces of legislation to revise its retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants (POP) as amended by the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2022 (UK Statutory Instruments 2020/1358 and 2022/1293).
These two new pieces of legislation are:
- The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (UK S.I. 2023/729)
- The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (UK S.I. 2023/1217)
UK S.I. 2023/729 permits the manufacture, placing on the market and use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds in textiles for oil- and water-repellancy for the protection of workers from dangerous liquids until December 3, 2025. This revision became effective in July 2023.
UK S.I. 2023/1217 adds perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds and their unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) values.
Both UK S.I. 2023/729 and 2023/1217 apply to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
Highlights of UK S.I. 2023/1217 are summarized in Table 1.
UK Statutory Instruments 2023 No. 1217, Environmental Protection
The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023
| Substance | Scope | Specific Exemption as UTC | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFHxS and its salts | Substances, mixtures or articles | ≤ 0.025 mg/kg | November 16, 2023 |
| PFHxS-related compounds | Substances, mixtures or articles | ≤ 1 mg/kg (sum of all PFHxS-related compounds) | November 16, 2023 |
| PFHxS, its salts and PFHxS-related compounds | Fire-fighting foam mixtures that are to be used or are used in the production of other fire-fighting foam mixtures | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg | November 16, 2023 |
Table 1
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