Nov. 23 2023
Source Page: Chemicals used in products for haemophilia: FOI releaseFound: Chemicals used in products for haemophilia: FOI release
Oct. 17 2023
Source Page: CMA launches investigation into the supply of chemicals for use in construction industryFound: CMA launches investigation into the supply of chemicals for use in construction industry
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2023 to Question 3556 on Chemicals: Regulation, for what reason no new additions to the UK’s Substance of Very High Concern waitlist are expected before 2025.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) work under the agreed 2023-24 UK REACH Work Programme has not identified any substances that are suitable candidates for authorisation under UK REACH, which would need to be included in the Candidate List as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).
HSE’s work includes both technical assessments of substances candidate-listed in the EU and regulatory management options analyses (RMOAs), which are reviewed in the context of the interim principles for the inclusion of SVHCs on the candidate list (Approach to including substances of very high concern on the UK REACH candidate list – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). If suitable substances are identified to go onto the Candidate List from this work, they will be taken forward. RMOAs may, however, also identify that other regulatory approaches are more appropriate than REACH authorisation.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what processes the Environment Agency follows in identifying and nominating chemical substances to the Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern; and whether there are routes for individuals or other organisations to raise chemical substances of concern to PEWS.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has developed a nomination process that integrates horizon scanning, environmental monitoring, and international collaboration. Nominations are received from internal and external stakeholders, collected from systematic reviews of published research, and watchlists developed by international environmental agency counterparts.
Individuals and organisations are able to feed into the nomination process by raising chemical substances of concern to any contact within DEFRA or the Environment Agency via PEWS@environment-agency.gov.uk who can nominate the substance following the instructions provided on the internal intranet page for PEWS.
The Environment Agency has adopted recommendations made by the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee on stakeholder engagement, from their 2021 review of PEWS.
Mar. 25 2024
Source Page: NN4 7PW, Miswa Chemicals Limited: environmental permit issued - EPR/AP3398LQ/V002Found: NN4 7PW, Miswa Chemicals Limited: environmental permit issued - EPR/AP3398LQ/V002
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UNEP-WCMC Webinar for the SAICM Strategic Approach Beyond 2020 Grant.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UNEP-WCMC webinar informed stakeholders of different models of indicator frameworks to be considered under negotiations of the Beyond 2020 Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management. The discussions influenced a UK paper on an indicator framework that was presented as part of the intersessional process in September 2022. This work has been built upon by the IOMC (Inter-Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals) and will be discussed at concluding negotiations at the International Chemicals Management Conference (ICCM 5) in Bonn (22-23 September 2023) for possible inclusion in a new United Nations framework instrument for chemicals and waste.
Ban the use of fireworks
- 49 Signatures
(Estimated Final Signatures: 70 - 1 added in the past 24hrs)
We are concerned about the outdated, unnecessary, and dangerous use of fireworks and seek to have them banned. The smoke/dust produced can contain various heavy metals, sulfur-coal compounds, and other noxious chemicals. Animals are negatively impacted, with many going missing and some dying.
Found: They can contain chemicals and heavy metals that can linger in the environment for days and contribute
Mentions:
1: Lord Benyon (Con - Life peer) It concluded that there is no indication that PFHxS chemicals are intentionally produced or used in Great - Speech Link
2: Baroness Sheehan (LD - Life peer) It is not for nothing that they are called “forever chemicals”. - Speech Link
3: Lord Tunnicliffe (Lab - Life peer) These forever chemicals degrade incredibly slowly, bringing a risk of large-scale health and environmental - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) Since then, the European Chemicals Agency has added 26 substances to its equivalent list. - Speech Link
2: Mark Spencer (Con - Sherwood) Obviously, these chemicals and new technologies take a lot of developing. - Speech Link
3: Mark Spencer (Con - Sherwood) By their very nature, these chemicals are designed to be harmful to some organisms—that is the purpose - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Ruth Jones (Lab - Newport West) The extreme persistence of these chemicals means that if emissions continue, levels will only increase - Speech Link
2: Rebecca Pow (Con - Taunton Deane) To clarify, PFHxS are a type of PFAS—forever chemicals, as they are commonly known. - Speech Link