On 27 August 2026, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a notice announcing significant updates to the chemicals list under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation. The new rules officially took effect on 28 August 2026.
Updates
1. New Chemicals Subject to Prior Informed Consent Procedure
The following chemicals have been newly added as they are listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention, and export consent from the importing country must be obtained before export:
- Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and related compounds
- Terbufos
- Carbosulfan
- Fenthion ultra-low volume formulation (active ingredient ≥640 g/L)
Note: Existing entries for Carbosulfan and Fenthion in Part 2 will be deleted.
2. Multiple Persistent Organic Pollutants Added to Export Ban
To align with Annexes A and B of the Stockholm Convention, the following Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) will be included in Part 4 of the GB PIC List and are in principle prohibited from export (except under specific exemptions or derogations):
- Dicofol
- Pentachlorophenol (PCP) and its salts and esters
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and related compounds
- Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and related compounds
- Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and related compounds
- Methoxychlor and its isomers
Additionally, DecaBDE and PFOA have been newly added to Part 1 due to strict restrictions under EU POPs Regulation.
3. Tightened Export Controls on Mercury-Containing Products
Pursuant to amendments to UK mercury legislation, a wide range of mercury-containing products will be listed in Part 5 of the GB PIC List and subject to export prohibitions. The following mercury-containing products are banned from export:
- Compact fluorescent lamps for general lighting purposes (≤30 watts)
- Cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) and external electrode fluorescent lamps (EEFLs) for certain electronic displays
- Switches and relays (except for specific high-precision/high-frequency equipment)
- Mercury-containing cosmetics, pesticides and biocidal products
- Mercury-containing non-electronic measuring devices (barometers, thermometers, pressure gauges, etc.)
- Mercury-containing electronic measuring devices (melt pressure sensors, etc.)
- Other mercury-containing products (vacuum pumps, tyre balancing weights, photographic films, satellite propellants, etc.)
Exemptions: Civil defence and military purposes, research/calibration uses, and cases where mercury-containing products serve as replacement components for large equipment and no mercury-free alternatives are available.
