Written question asked by Jayne Kirkham (Labour) on Friday, 7 February 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 (named day). It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Lithium: Hazardous Substances

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the HSE plans to expedite its assessment of the European Chemicals Agency Risk Assessment Committee proposal to reclassify lithium salts as Category A reproductive toxicants.

Answer: The three lithium substances (lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride) referred to above, do not currently have mandatory classification and labelling in Great Britain (GB). HSE specialists are considering the need to fully evaluate the available data using the Article 37A process under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP) following publication of the Agency Opinion by HSE in August 2023 to determine whether mandatory classification and labelling is warranted.

Secondary information