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<p>The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are
safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants
and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.
This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe
products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market.
The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors
to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for
safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without
adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the
presence of silver in these products.</p><p> </p><p>Period products are not classed
as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles
which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound).
A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety
and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances.
While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period
products.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period
products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and
Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including
those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals
identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence
of significant risks to human health.</p>
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