Stop Harmful Chemicals

Stop harmful chemicals linked to breast cancer

Campaign objective

There’s a real danger that leaving the European Union will compromise the existing system of regulations which restricts the use of harmful chemicals in the UK. We’re calling on the Government to maintain its membership of the EU REACH system which has helped to reduce public exposure to chemical pollutants linked to breast cancer. In the event of no-deal, we want the government to take immediate steps to create a UK chemicals regime that mirrors, and then copies across, future improvements in EU chemicals laws. 

Background

Over the years, EU Chemical regulations, underpinned by the REACH system, have successfully reduced consumer exposures to chemical pollutants e.g. carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors linked to breast cancer. These regulations determine which chemicals are in our environment – our water, our air, our soil – and which chemicals enter the products in our everyday lives.

Breast Cancer UK, alongside multiple, health and environmental NGOs, regards REACH as the ‘gold standard’ for chemicals regulation and the benchmark to which other countries aspire. The EU’s precautionary approach, that underpins REACH, has led to the restriction of numerous chemicals with links to breast cancer including Bisphenol A and formaldehyde.

There is a significant risk that an unintended consequence of Brexit is that these chemical standards will be diluted. As a result, this would make it harder for the UK to keep pace with global action on noxious chemicals, undermining our efforts to prevent breast cancer.