The industry in the UK believes (and in private so do a number of authorities ) that this legislation is out of date and no longer fit for purpose to such an extent that the regulations are almost counter-productive due to the confusion that surrounds them.
There is also an urgency to bring these UK – only rules into line with the various EU directives and regulations that govern such compounds elsewhere in Europe ( such as Reach ) so that a barrier to trade is not created and our UK Industry is not denied access, sale and supply of certain important substances.
Conversely, the aim of restricting such a limited number of chemicals, many currently inappropriately within the scope of the Poisons Rules and associated lists, whilst ignoring the many substances of concern which are new to the market, does nothing to deliver the outcomes for which this legislation was orginally invoked.
A far reaching root and branch review of the Poisons Act is therefore called for as the key objective of protecting the public through ensuring effective and appropriate controls of the right materials is not achieved whilst the position is adversely compounded by the wrong materials being unnecessarily restricted.