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UK plans to revise POPs regulations, add 5 new persistent organic pollutants, and lower PFOS limits

Time：

2026-03-25

The UK has released a draft of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Revised) Regulations 2026, which plans to include five types of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the list of substances prohibited from manufacturing, using, and placing on the market, and significantly tighten the limit for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).

On March 18, 2026, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released a draft of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Revised) Regulations 2026, which plans to include five types of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the list of substances prohibited from manufacturing, using and placing on the market, and significantly tighten the limit for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).

This will revise the provisions of EU Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants applicable to Great Britain. The draft will initiate an 8-week public consultation, which will continue until May 13, 2026. This consultation is part of the government's Environmental Improvement Plan, aimed at reducing environmental pollution and exposure to harmful chemicals.

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5 items of material information

Substance Name	Main Purpose	Proposed UTC Limit (Upper Limit)
Chlorpyrifos	Insecticides (obsolete)	0.01mg/kg (0.000001% by weight)
Dechlorane Plus	Chlorinated flame retardant	10 mg/kg (0.001% by weight)
LC-PFCAs	Semiconductor, food packaging, fire foam	Its salt concentration is 0.025mg/kg (0.0000025% by weight); Related compound 1mg/kg (0.0001% by weight)
MCCPs	Plasticizers, flame retardants, metalworking fluids	Mixture ≤ 3%; Item ≤ 0.45% by weight
UV-328	UV absorbers (plastics, coatings, automotive applications)	10mg/kg (0.001% by weight)

PFOS Clause Revision

Reduce PFOS UTC limits to stricter levels (salts ≤ 0.025 mg/kg, related compounds ≤ 1 mg/kg)

Delete outdated references to European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standards

Cancel the exemption for use in hard chrome plating.

Specific use exemption

Provide a transition period for key industries, allowing for continued use for a limited period of time

Dechlorane Plus, long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs), medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), and UV-328 all have exemption clauses

Chlorpyrifos has no exemption (as there are no known uses in the UK)

Compliance recommendations

The consultation also seeks information on:

The potential impact of EU amendments, including those related to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

The operation of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) system in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Evidence supporting future regulatory action on additional substances within the framework of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The new regulations are expected to come into effect on December 16, 2026, significantly strengthening the chemical compliance framework in England, Wales, and Scotland to address increasingly severe environmental challenges. Remind relevant enterprises to pay timely attention to the dynamics of POPs regulations in the UK, make compliance arrangements in advance, and ensure that products comply with regulatory requirements.

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