EU public consultations – potential candidates for substitution

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is consulting on the availability of substitutes and alternatives to BIT, alpha-cypermethrin and TCMTB.

The EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR) applies in NI.

Under EU BPR active substances will be considered candidates for substitution if they meet the substitution criteria set out in Article 10(1). This means that the supply and use of biocidal products containing candidates for substitution must be prohibited or restricted under EU BPR, unless all the following conditions can be shown:

• for the uses specified for that product, there are no other authorised biocidal products or existing non-chemical control or prevention methods that:
  • present a significantly lower overall risk for human health, animal health and the environment
  • are sufficiently effective
  • present no other significant economic or practical disadvantages
    
    
• the chemical diversity of the available active substances is not adequate to minimise the occurrence of resistance in the target harmful organism
  
  

The following active substances have been identified as potential candidates for substitution under EU BPR. ECHA has launched public consultations to collect information on the availability of substitutes and alternatives, running until the stated dates:

7 September 2026

• 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT) (CAS 2634-33-5 EC 220-120-9) in product types 11 and 12
  
  

5 October 2026

• [1α(S*),3α]-(α)-cyano-(3-phenoxyphenyl)methyl3-(2,2-dichlor-oethenyl)-2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropanecarboxylate αCypermethrin) (alpha-cypermethrin) (CAS 67375-30-8 EC 614-054-3) in product type 18
• (benzothiazol-2-ylthio)methyl thiocyanate (TCMTB) (CAS 21564-17-0 EC 244-445-0) in product types 9 and 12
  
  

Comments should be submitted to ECHA (not HSE) using the dedicated webforms.

Please note these consultations and their outcomes are not applicable under the GB Biocidal Products Regulations (GB BPR).

Working in high temperatures

Employers must ensure workers are protected during hot weather.

There's no law for maximum working temperature, or when it's too hot to work, because every workplace is different.

No meaningful upper limit can be imposed as many indoor workplaces have high temperatures that are not seasonal but created by work activity, for example in bakeries or foundries.

HSE's website has guidance on temperature in the workplace.