On 18 March 2026, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) officially launched a public consultation on amendments to the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulations, proposing to add five new persistent organic pollutants to the prohibited list and adjust control requirements for certain existing substances.
Background
The United Kingdom is a party to the Stockholm Convention, which aims to eliminate or restrict persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to address their risks to human health and the environment. At the recent Conference of the Parties, global agreement was reached to prohibit five substances (listing them in Annex A of the Convention), including medium-chain chlorinated paraffins, long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids, chlorpyrifos, UV-328, and Dechlorane Plus.
Five Proposed New POPs Substances
|
Substance |
Primary Uses |
Implementation Date |
|
Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (MCCPs) |
Plasticizers, flame retardants, metalworking fluids |
16 December 2026 |
|
Long-Chain Perfluorocarboxylic Acids (LC-PFCAs) |
Semiconductors, food packaging, firefighting foams |
16 December 2026 |
|
Chlorpyrifos |
Insecticide (already phased out) |
16 December 2026 |
|
UV-328 |
UV absorber (plastics, coatings, automotive applications) |
26 February 2025 (already in effect) |
|
Dechlorane Plus |
Chlorinated flame retardant |
26 February 2025 (already in effect) |
Key Amendments
- Specific Use Exemptions
- Provide transition periods for critical industries, allowing continued use for limited time periods
- MCCPs, LC-PFCAs, UV-328, and Dechlorane Plus all have exemption provisions
- No exemptions for chlorpyrifos (as there are no known uses remaining in the UK)
- Unintentional Trace Contaminant (UTC) Limits
- Allow substances to be present at very low concentrations without knowledge
- Proposed UTC limits vary by substance, for example:
- MCCPs: ≤3% in substances/mixtures, ≤0.45% in articles
- LC-PFCAs: 0.025 mg/kg (salts), 1.0 mg/kg (sum of related compounds)
- Chlorpyrifos: ≤0.01 mg/kg
- Revisions to Existing PFOS Provisions
- Lower PFOS UTC limits to stricter levels (≤0.025 mg/kg for salts, ≤1 mg/kg for related compounds)
- Remove outdated references to CEN standards
Consultation Questions
- Level of support for prohibitions on the five new POPs
- Whether specific exemption provisions are adequate or excessive
- Technical feasibility and economic impact of UTC limits
- Impact of regulatory differences from EU rules on supply chains and trade
- Whether the EU's new UTC limits for PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) should be implemented in Great Britain
This public consultation will close on 13 May 2026. Interested stakeholders may submit comments through Defra's Citizen Space platform or the GOV.UK website, or email pops@defra.gov.uk to participate.
