Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agreements the Government has entered into with (a) EU and (b) other international organisations on the use of perfluorooctane sulphonate. [70021] Ian Pearson: On 5 December 2005, the European Commission published a proposal for a Directive (76/769/EC) relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOSs). While the UK welcomes the proposals we do not feel that they go far enough, and the UK is working to strengthen these proposals. We have reached agreement with member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the hazard profile of PFOS see www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/18/2382880.pdf
We are also working to have PFOS agreed as a persistent organic pollutant and subject to international controls under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the UNECE Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants. | 
