Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

I understand concerns have been raised about the use of PFAS, known as ‘forever chemicals’, in many everyday products including paper, board and compostable food packaging, due to their impacts on the environment and our health.

Earlier this year, the UK Government confirmed it was not seeking to participate in REACH as part of the UK’s future relationship with the EU and would instead establish an independent chemicals regulatory regime that will apply across Great Britain from 1 January 2021.

I am concerned that the UK Government has not indicated an intention to seek close cooperation with the European Chemicals Agency, and that regulatory divergence could have a severe impact on the quality and strength of public health and environmental protections. We should be levelling up, not cutting ties.

I supported efforts to try to amend the Environment Bill so that the starting point for UK REACH would be that there is no regression. Disappointingly, this was voted down by the UK Government.

The UK Government says that a number of PFAS are already banned or highly restricted. It says that existing restrictions under the REACH Regulation will be brought into UK law and commitments under the Stockholm Convention will continue to apply at the end of the transition period.

The UK Government says it is working to improve its understanding of the emissions and risks of PFAS in the UK and will consider how these chemicals are managed in its forthcoming Chemicals Strategy.

It adds that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) also regularly reviews new PFAS and will be considering the upcoming review by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) of the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) latest scientific opinion on PFAS in food.

I agree with you that in tackling the scourge of plastic pollution, we cannot simply shift the environmental burden to alternative materials that also damage our planet. We must instead address the deeper problem that lies with the single-use throwaway culture and move rapidly to a more circular economy.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

 Peter Dowd MP