Nearly two-thirds (63%) of British citizens – including 62% of Leave voters – believe that there should be no reduction in regulatory standards that protect people and the environment from potentially harmful chemicals when the UK leaves the EU, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of SumOfUs and CHEM Trust by GQR Research. [...]
UK
On 29th September the chemicals policy journal Chemical Watch are organising a conference in London on “Post-Brexit options for UK chemicals law“. The conference has been organised in conjunction with CHEM Trust and the technology industry trade association Tech UK. The event will bring together a wide range of experts and stakeholders, including speakers from industry, [...]
PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) are a group of chemicals which were produced in large quantities by companies such as Monsanto, and were widely used in electrical equipment, sealants and paints. Their production was phased out in the mid 1980’s in Europe, and they are now banned by the global Stockholm convention, as they were found to be [...]
On Friday 23rd June, a year after the UK’s referendum on membership of the EU, the Greener UK coalition – of which CHEM Trust is a member – published their first ‘Brexit Risk Tracker‘. Most of the UK’s environmental protection rules are based on laws that have been agreed at EU level, so by leaving [...]
The UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today published the report of its inquiry on chemicals regulation after the EU referendum, which particularly focussed on the EU’s world-leading REACH system for regulating chemicals. The EAC criticise the UK Government’s lack of openness about its post-Brexit plans, and point out that most respondents want the [...]
We are all exposed to hundreds of man-made chemicals in our daily life, coming from everyday products including furniture, packaging and clothes. The aim of chemicals regulation is to try and establish which of these chemicals are dangerous, and then to put in place measures to ensure that they are used safely, or not used [...]
It’s well known that the UK was once the ‘dirty man of Europe’, and that the EU has helped us clean up our beaches and rivers. However, the EU has been working on something even more important to you and your family’s health: controlling the chemicals used in your food and everyday products. A shorter [...]
A new report, published today by the European Environment Bureau (EEB), argues that unless the EU chemicals regulation REACH “is better enforced, it will never achieve its aim of removing harmful chemicals from the market“. EEB and CHEM Trust are particularly concerned about the way the ‘Authorisation’ system is working, which is supposed to result [...]
Fracking remains near the top of the UK political agenda, with events in the last few weeks adding to the concerns we expressed in our briefing and report, launched on the 21st June. The government has U-turned on the protection of wildlife sites, and more cuts are on the horizon for the regulators. Meanwhile fracking company [...]
Just over a week ago we published our new briefing and detailed report looking at chemical pollution from fracking. It’s been a busy 10 days since publication, with inaccurate criticism of our report from the UK fracking industry, two decisions on fracking applications in Lancashire, UK, and an EU Commission stakeholder meeting. Lancashire County Council [...]
