20th Report - Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life
- HC No.
- HC 1805
- Published
- 16 Jul 2019
- Items
- 0
- Government response
- Government response published 30 October 2019. Read the government's response ↗
Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee
Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life inquiry
Closed
Opened 29 Nov 2018
Closed 29 Nov 2018
Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The Environmental Audit Committee launches an inquiry into the impact of toxic chemicals in everyday life on human health and the environment. The inquiry will focus on how toxic chemicals are used in everyday products, such as furniture, food and toys, current government regulation of these substances, and the environmental and human health problems associated with them.
Where it stands
The inquiry is closed, opened 29 November 2018.
The committee has published 1 report, most recently 20th Report - Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life on 16 July 2019.
The government's response
Published 30 October 2019.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government responds to each recommendation in turn, largely pointing to its forthcoming Chemicals Strategy and existing regulation, while declining some proposals such as landfill and incineration bans and a blanket ban on substances of very high concern in food contact materials.
- A Chemicals Strategy is under development: a discussion document is to be published in March 2020 with a call for evidence, and the final Strategy is "expected to be published in 2021/2".
- On biomonitoring, the government says it "will continue to explore the best approach" and that the Strategy will "explore options for further biomonitoring programmes". It does not commit to a UK-wide programme.
- On furniture fire safety, the government intends to develop revised regulations to replace the 1988 Regulations "by autumn 2021", and "will consult on the detail of the new regulations in due course".
- The government states it "believes that positive approaches are more effective than imposing landfill and incineration bans", and says a blanket ban on substances of very high concern in food contact materials is "perhaps overly simplistic".
Reports
- 20th Report - Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life16 July 2019
Evidence
- 4 oral evidence sessionsLatest 5 June 2019
Recent activity
- Letter from Amazon UK relating to Toxic Chemicals, 2 October 20194 November 2019, Correspondence
- 2nd Special Report - Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life: Government Response to the Committee's Twentieth Report of Session 2017–1930 October 2019, Report published
- Correspondence from Kingspan, relating to Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life inquiry, 29 May 20199 September 2019, Correspondence
Reports
Oral evidence sessions
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Correspondence
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