Green groups condemn HSE plans to reform biocides controls

Environmental groups have urged the Government to quash chemicals policy reform proposals from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The HSE is consulting until 18 August on changes to its chemicals policy on biocides, classification, labelling and packaging, and the export and import of hazardous chemicals. It said the changes proposed were in “direct support” of the national growth mission and would reduce costs for business.

But the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) coalition said the proposals, which would end mandatory renewal processes for biocide chemicals and remove requirements to respond to new EU hazard classifications, would weaken consumer and environment protections and have implications for contamination risks for UK rivers, food and products. They would also result in divergence from EU policy, which could have widespread implications.

Biocide chemicals control organisms such as bacteria, viruses, insects, rodents and mould. They are typically found in cleaning products, insect sprays and pesticides, as well as broader products including wood preservers, adhesives, carpets and furniture, construction materials, paints and paper products. WCL explained: “The new government proposals to weaken chemical regulation could leave biocide products on GB shelves that might be banned elsewhere, or see high-strength products for sale when only weaker versions are allowed in the EU due to toxicity levels.”

The alarm was sounded after new research from WCL and The Rivers Trust analysed official Environment Agency water quality data within drinking water safeguard zones for biocide presence. This found:

• High presence in drinking water safeguard zones: across all surface drinking water safeguard zones, 51 unique biocides were present between 2019 and 2024, with an average of four biocides detected at each sampling site.

• High presence in river sites: at least one of seven key biocide compounds was detected at 95% (113 out of 119) of river sites tested between 2019-2024 in the Environment Agency’s LC-MS database.

Ruth Chambers, senior fellow, Green Alliance commented: “With toxic chemicals polluting our rivers and our bodies, we should be strengthening safety protocols, not abandoning them. Successive governments pledged that Brexit would not come at the expense of environmental protections. Ministers must now follow through on that promise and scrap these regressive and damaging proposals.”

WCL urged that all UK chemical regulation be aligned with that of the EU.