This month in the Spotlight Camilla Alexander-White, Senior Policy Advisor for Environment & Regulation, explains some of the recent work we're doing on UK chemicals policy. You can contact Cam or any member of the Policy & Evidence Team at policy@rsc.org with any comments or questions.


It is important for citizens to know and trust how chemicals are managed in everyday life. Now that the UK has left the European Union as of 1 January 2021, UK government is responsible for all matters relating to chemicals management in industrial processes, the products we consume and the chemicals present in the environment.

UK REACH is now operating in Great Britain (Northern Ireland continues to follow EU REACH as per the Northern Ireland protocol). The Health & Safety Executive are acting as the regulatory ‘Agency’ for chemicals and are recruiting 60 new staff members now, and also for expert scientists to join the REACH Independent Science Expert Pool (RISEP). At the RSC, we have continuously called for independent scientific advice to be a core part of UK REACH, and we are pleased that the HSE have established a strong mechanism for science advice.

If you would like to join RISEP, the deadline for applications is 4 April 2021: https://careers.hse.gov.uk/job/reach-independent-scientific-expert-pool-risep/

On 23 March, Defra announced the first programme for UK REACH restrictions, with lead in ammunition, chemicals in tattoo inks/ permanent make up, and PFAS chemicals included. We convened a science-policy round table on 30 March to begin looking at the topic of PFAS in more detail and will share these outcomes in the coming weeks.

Chemicals policy is also important at the international level, and we have been working with the United Nations Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) programme ‘Beyond 2020’. We are campaigning for the establishment of an intergovernmental panel for chemicals and waste; you can read our policy position on the RSC website.