The Guardian13 Jun 2026Macro
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources
The government laid regulations before parliament earlier this year that omitted a safeguard, consulted on by the HSE, to recognise only EU hazard classifications when fast-tracking chemicals rules. The campaign group Fighting Dirty sent a letter before claim on 1 April and is now proceeding with a judicial review application, warning that substances like hexavalent chromium—classified as a human carcinogen and more widely used in the US, China, India, and Brazil—could be adopted under lower standards. The HSE argues the regulations are designed to prevent non‑EU jurisdictions with weaker regulatory practices from qualifying for fast‑track evaluation.