Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of industry and businesses in developing cost-effective microplastic filter solutions for washing machines.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials gratefully received information which the honourable member kindly provided in her recent letter to me. The information was reported by a washing machine filter technology group describing solutions to tackling microplastics and microfibres as a product of washing textiles and clothing. Officials are currently assessing the details.
The Government is concerned about the risks microplastics in our water environment may pose to public health and to the environment. Defra is working with water companies to investigate microplastics detected during wastewater treatment and their potential to enter the receiving aquatic environment.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of microplastic pollution to human health; and what practices he has in place to continuously evaluate the growing body of research on this topic.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency is carrying out research to understand if there are potential health risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes, as part of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health.
In addition, the potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The most recent statement was published in 2024 and is available at the following link:
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. This project is expected to report in early 2025. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) research and (b) mitigate the potential health risks posed by microplastic exposure to humans.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency, in collaboration with Imperial College, is carrying out research and providing evidence to assist the understanding of the potential risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. The potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), who made a number of recommendations for further research. The most recent COT statement was published in 2024. The statements are available at the following link:
https://cot.food.gov.uk/M-statementsandpositionpapers#microplastics
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. It will advise on the most effective measures to address any risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics. This project is expected to report in early 2025. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh and Scottish administrations will consider its findings once complete.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 the report entitled Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains, published in Nature Medicine on 3 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of microplastics in UK waters on (a) the environment and (b) public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Microplastics have been widely detected in the environment – in the air, soils, rivers, and the seas. We are aware there is still much work to be done to strengthen our understanding of the impacts of microplastics in the water and wider environment. Defra engages with the academic community working in this area and keeps a close observation of emerging evidence of the risks microplastics may pose to the environment.
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. This project is expected to report in early 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in collaboration with Imperial College, is carrying out research and providing evidence to assist the understanding of potential risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. The potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), who made a number of recommendations for further research. The most recent COT statement was published in 2024. The statements are available here.
The COT concluded that based on the available data a full risk assessment on the toxic effects of inhaled micro and nano plastics could not be carried out. The Committee concurred with the conclusions reached by other bodies, including the World Health Organization, that further research is required. The COT's statement is available here.
The Government is working with the devolved Governments to legislate for the ban on wet wipes containing plastic across the UK. We have been supporting Water UK’s behaviour change campaign to ‘Bin the Wipe’ which encourages consumers to dispose of wipes in the bin, not the toilet. The Government’s message is clear – if you need to use wet wipes, dispose of them in the bin, not the loo. Flushing wet wipes causes a number of environmental and drainage impacts.
Asked by: Alison Taylor (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of microplastics in the environment, in the context of the potential impact of microplastics on levels of prevalence of heart attacks and strokes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It did not look specifically into any links between microplastics and the prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, but the evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. It will advise on the most effective measures to address any risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics. This project is expected to report in early 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the exposure of babies to microplastics.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
While there are National Health Service trusts involved in research on the effects of microplastics on certain health issues, the Department has made no assessment of the potential implications for policies of the exposure of babies to microplastics.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to require retailers to publish data on microplastics used in their clothing.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a Taskforce of experts from across the Government, industry, academia and relevant NGOs. The Taskforce will help to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such the Taskforce will evaluate what interventions may need to be made in the textiles sector as it helps to develop the Circular Economy Strategy. In the meantime we have no plans to require clothing producers or retailers to publish additional data.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of oxo-degradable film, which breaks down into microplastics in the soil, in farming, given that the EU only permits biodegradable film, which breaks down into carbon dioxide and water.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Healthy soil underpins a range of ecosystem services including food production, biodiversity, carbon storage and flood risk mitigation. Addressing contaminants in soil, including microplastic pollution, is vital for protecting and improving soil health. We are working to build an understanding of the impact of microplastics to soil and to develop mitigation capabilities.
The plastic problem is one of management not eradication, to reduce, reuse, and recycle the material we have and not let it escape into, and damage, our environment. We have focused our efforts in tackling the most commonly used and littered plastic items, but we are aware of concerns with the use of agri-plastics too, particularly with single-use types such as mulch films.
We are concerned about the potential for oxo-degradable plastic to release microplastics. In 2021, we published our response to a call for evidence which also covered oxo-degradable plastics. Most respondents objected to their use and supported introducing a ban. A review by the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC) showed there is no environmental benefit to oxo-degradable plastic, and they are likely to be harmful when released into the environment. This year, Defra has commissioned a second HSAC review and are minded to introduce a ban on this material pending evidence from the review.
The UK Government continues to take a cautious approach to biodegradable plastics. The UK standard for biodegradable plastics (EN13432) allows for contaminants in the final output: “no more than 10% contaminants to pass through a 2mm sieve”. This means that microplastics less than 2mm could be produced by a biodegradable plastic mulch film that meets the standard and be spread to land. Additionally, while we are not aware of any biodegradable plastic that can reach levels of 100% biodegradation, evidence used to inform the European Union’s legislation around biodegradable plastics in agricultural applications may not apply to the UK. The UK has differing conditions, such as temperatures and humidity levels, which affect biodegradability.
We will continue to review the evidence around both types of plastic to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary and harmful single-use plastics.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the report on improving sampling and analysis of microplastics in surface waters and sediments.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The report has been published. It can be accessed via Defra’s Science Search web site - Measurement and Characterisation of Microplastics in English River Catchment Waters and Sediments - WT15135 (defra.gov.uk).
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of research on the impact of (a) microplastics and (b) nanoplastics on (i) atheromas and (ii) other cardiovascular events.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No such assessment has been made. While there are National Health Service trusts involved in research on the effects of microplastics on certain health issues, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, there is not an NHS policy position in respect to cardiovascular disease treatments at this time.