Campaigners sue UK government over chemical safety regulations

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), now responsible for chemical regulation in Britain following Brexit, had consulted on plans to streamline hazard classifications. Initially, the HSE indicated it would recognize the European Union's high standards when adopting classifications from other nations. However, the regulations subsequently presented to Parliament omitted any reference to the EU.

Fighting Dirty, represented by law firm Leigh Day, argues this omission removes a crucial safeguard, potentially allowing the government to approve chemicals from countries with lower regulatory standards than the UK and EU. They cite hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, as an example of a substance more widely used in countries like the US, China, India, and Brazil compared to the EU.

"This is deregulation dressed up as efficiency, and the British public will pay for it with their health," stated Georgia Elliott-Smith, founder of Fighting Dirty. While the HSE maintains the regulations are designed to prevent the fast-tracking of evaluations from non-EU jurisdictions with weaker practices, campaigners like Chloe Topping of CHEM Trust express concern that the omission in the legal text could lead to future misuse.

Fighting Dirty is seeking a judicial review, urging the court to ensure that laws designed to protect public health from cancer-causing chemicals function as intended. They advocate for the precautionary principle to be applied, prioritizing citizen health over corporate profits. CHEM Trust has called for clarification in the legal text, specifying that the changes are intended solely to expedite the adoption of EU decisions, which represent the highest global standards in chemical safety.