Monitor effects of ‘dangerous’ chemicals before banning them, says Benyon

Water minister Richard Benyon has thrown his weight behind calls to introduce a "watch list" to assess the impact of potentially harmful chemicals in water, rather than ordering water firms to remove them as proposed by the European Commission.

Giving evidence at the Commons Science and Technology Committee’s inquiry into water quality, he said developing a watch list to assess whether the chemicals were toxic in water and at what level before they were classified as a priority substance was a “sensible way forward”. 

“Where there is a degree of concern, certain chemicals can be put on a watch list and the rigorous process of using scientific data to inform the risk can ensue. This would allow us to make a decision on an evidence basis,” he said. 

He said rigorous testing of chemicals was needed before they were banned outright because of the huge cost of removing them from wastewater. The UK water industry has estimated that removing the extra substances at sewage works could cost around £27 billion over 20 years. 

Benyon also criticised the Commission for not consulting member states before it published its proposed list of 15 chemicals to be listed for control. 

“Having helped prepare evidence for setting the environmental quality standards, member states were not given the opportunity to review the proposal in its entirety ahead of its publication,” he said. “We would have expected the Commission to take a more considered view of the practical implementations of the proposal.”