Toxic toys and playgrounds: Fears as UK chemical rules become weaker than EU post-Brexit

From [Tom Bawden](https://inews.co.uk/author/tom-bawden) for **i:**

In the four-and-a-half years since [Brexit](https://inews.co.uk/category/news/brexit?ico=in-line_link), the EU has agreed to ban, restrict, or require clear safety warnings on 46 chemicals.

By contrast, the UK has added just one chemical to the watchlists it inherited from Europe – and only after a worldwide ban under the Stockholm Convention, [according to an analysis ](https://chemtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/UKEU-divergence-table-chemical-controls-11.pdf)by the Chem Trust charity.

Among other things, the UK’s more relaxed approach to these chemicals has raised fears that its children face greater potential health risks in the future from toxic toys, bouncy playgrounds and [artificial turf sports pitches](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ%3AL%3A2021%3A259%3ATOC&uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2021.259.01.0001.01.ENG).

The bloc plans restrictions on “endocrine disrupting” chemicals used in toys, which have been [linked to ADHD](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7455852/) and [impaired brain development](https://chemtrust.org/edcs_brain_development/) in children – and has agreed to ban “rubber crumb” recycled tyre particles from playground surfaces and infill for artificial sports pitches from 2031.

These contain high levels of a known carcinogen – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – [that have been linked to skin, lung, bladder and liver cancer](http://www.idph.state.il.us/cancer/factsheets/polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons.htm#:~:text=Benzo(a)pyrene%20is%20the,%2C%20bladder%2C%20and%20gastrointestinal%20cancers.) in animal studies and are a source of microplastic pollution in rivers.

The EU has also increased the number of [forever chemicals ](https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/high-levels-toxic-chemicals-fish-harming-2785657?ico=in-line_link)it has banned. These chemicals, of which there are estimated to be about 10,000 in total, are used to make everyday products stain and water resistant, and are so widespread they are present in more than half of UK fruit and vegetables, and in many rivers and fish.

The one addition to the UK list since Brexit is for PFHxS, a subset of forever chemicals. But the post Brexit EU bans, some already in place and others in the pipeline, are much wider than that.

Article aside. Since when did we have ‘Verified Media Outlets’?

There is no point in implementing a ban just because the EU does, that is silly.

So without being an expert on the health of these chemicals, it would be interesting to know where else have those 46 additional rules been implemented? Is it just EU, or other countries?