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 potential merits of restricting chemical substances that are persistent and mobile but do not meet all criteria for classification as persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm convention.
Chemicals with persistent and mobile properties, such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), are widely used in consumer and industrial products. Restrictions of these substances should be based on clearly established and agreed criteria.
My department is working with regulators to improve the understanding of the emissions and risks of persistent and mobile chemicals, and how we manage these chemicals will be considered in our forthcoming Chemicals Strategy.