New restrictions on poisons and explosive substances have
come into effect from Sunday 1 October, strengthening existing
controls for poisons and chemicals which could be used to make
explosives.
Under these changes, there will be stricter requirements on
reporting suspicious activity, including new obligations for
online marketplaces. Customer information, such as photo
identification, will be recorded when selling regulated materials
to business users.
Additional substances have also been added to the list of
regulated poisons, including 2,4 Dinitrophenol, also known as
DNP, which has taken the lives of many young people in the UK.
Other substances to be added include zinc phosphide and hexamine,
often used in fireworks.
This will mean it will be a criminal offence to sell these
substances to members of the public without a valid licence.
Security Minister said:
The deaths of dozens of young people at the hands of criminals
selling chemicals like DNP is a tragedy.
These new measures will help prevent dangerous controlled
substances from falling into the wrong hands.
These measures come on the back of the devastating Manchester
Arena attack in 2017, and the government’s commitment to look at
whether current laws went far enough to protect the public.
The changes will come into force through the updates to the
Poisons Act 1972.
Food Standards Agency (FSA) Head of National Food Crime
Unit Andrew Quinn said:
DNP can, and does, kill. This is why we strongly support the Home
Office on the reclassification of DNP as a poison as well as the
police on tackling criminals who supply this killer chemical.
British Retail Consortium (BRC) Retail Products Advisor
Adrian Simpson said:
Retailers play an important part in spotting any suspicious
activity from customers when buying particular chemical products,
and will take additional steps to verify legitimacy of a purchase
through more thorough ID checks.
We welcome these new strengthened measures – retailers are vital
in protecting the public by ensuring that all changes are clearly
communicated to their customers. They will provide additional
information online to explain the risks associated with certain
products.
The government continues to regularly work with online
marketplaces to ensure that they are aware of the harms of
chemicals and poisons and can identify and take down potentially
unlawful listings as quickly as possible.
The Poisons Act 1972 already sets out controls of chemicals which
can be used to make explosives and poisons, restricting the
general public’s access to the most dangerous materials. It
permits a licensing regime for the purchase and use of regulated
substances where there is a legitimate need and no safer
alternative.
Newly reportable explosives precursors:
Newly reportable poisons:
- Metal sulfides and polysulfides
- Metal phosphides
- Sodium hypochlorite solutions (above 6% available Cl).
Newly regulated precursors:
- Hexamine
- Hydrochloric acid (over 10% w/w)
- Phosphoric acid (over 30% w/w)
- Ammonium nitrate (over 16% N)
Newly regulated poisons:
- Aluminium sulfide
- Sodium sulfide
- Calcium sulfide
- Magnesium sulfide
- Calcium phosphide
- Zinc phosphide
- Arsenic compounds
- Mercury compounds
- 2,4- dinitrophenol (DNP) and compounds including sodium
dinitrophenolate
