REGULATORY CONTROLS ON BIOCIDES IN THE UNITED-KINGDOM AND RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF TRIORGANOTIN-CONTAINING ANTIFOULING PRODUCTS

In the United Kingdom biocides are currently subject to the general controls on chemicals, unless they ave defined as pesticides under The Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (IT;EPA) and The Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (COPR). In both eases there ave duties on the supplier to provide hazard information concerning safety for man and the environment and on the user at work to use chemicals safely. Additionally, under FEPA and COPR, a supplier must obtain an approval before a product can be advertised, sold, supplied, stored or used as a pesticide and must provide information demonstrating efficacy. The user must comply with the general Consents and any specific conditions relating to the approval. Because of concerns over the environment, particularly developmental effects in shellfish, uses of triorganotin-containing antifouling products have been restricted in order to reduce the environmental load As a consequence of these restrictions no triorganotin-containing antifouling product can now be used on vessels below 25 m in overall length or on fish farm equipment and only tributyltin copolymer products containing <1% free tributyltin oxide (TBTO) are now available for the remaining uses. Additionally, further guidelines for the painting and removal of antifouling products are being made available. However, their use remains subject to continuing review.