US environmental regulators drop plans to restrict 18 chemicals

The US environmental regulators have withdrawn proposed rules that would have restricted the use of 18 chemical substances. This means these chemicals will not face new restrictions on how they can be used or manufactured.

The US environmental regulators had planned to impose "significant new use rules" on these chemicals. These rules would have required companies to get special permission before using the chemicals in new ways. Now, companies can use these chemicals without needing that extra approval.