Switzerland has banned these motorhome toilet chemicals - could the UK be next?

August 2026 Industry Update

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The photograph below was taken in a camping retailer in Switzerland.

The notice might come as a surprise to many British motorhome and caravan owners. It explains that Thetford Aqua Kem Blue can no longer be sold in Switzerland in its current form because it does not have the required biocidal product authorisation.

From 1 January 2026, changes to Swiss biocides regulation meant that familiar toilet chemicals including Thetford Aqua Kem Blue and Aqua Kem Green could no longer remain on sale without the necessary authorisation.

They did not have that authorisation — and were removed from sale.

These are not obscure products. Aqua Kem Blue in particular is one of the best-known motorhome and caravan toilet chemicals in Europe and has been used by campers for decades.

The issue centres on bronopol, an antimicrobial active ingredient found in a number of conventional toilet treatments.

Bronopol is designed to control microorganisms. That means products using it for this purpose can fall within biocides legislation and may require specific regulatory approval before they can be sold.

Could Britain follow?

There has been no decision to ban Aqua Kem Blue, Aqua Kem Green or other bronopol-based toilet products in Britain, and they can continue to be sold here at present.

However, relevant uses of bronopol are still going through the regulatory review process under the Great Britain Biocidal Products Regulation.

Nobody can say what the eventual outcome of that process will be, and what has happened in Switzerland does not mean that the same thing is about to happen in Britain.

But the Swiss example does demonstrate something important.

Products that had been familiar sights in camping shops for years were removed from sale because they did not have the authorisation now required under Swiss law.

For UK motorhome and caravan owners, it is a reminder that the regulatory position of long-established toilet chemicals should not necessarily be taken for granted.

What is actually in your toilet chemical?

For decades, many campers have simply bought whichever blue or green toilet chemical was stocked in their local caravan shop without giving much thought to what was actually inside it.

But toilet chemicals can work in very different ways.

Some conventional products contain antimicrobial or biocidal ingredients designed to kill or suppress bacteria. Others use different approaches and do not rely on biocidal active substances such as bronopol.

That distinction is becoming increasingly relevant as regulators across Europe scrutinise biocidal products and the active ingredients they contain.

The fact that a product has been sold for many years, is produced by a major manufacturer and is familiar to generations of campers does not automatically guarantee that it will continue to meet future regulatory requirements. Switzerland has now provided a very clear example of that.

For British motorhome and caravan owners, there is no immediate reason to expect Aqua Kem products to disappear from UK shelves.

But what has happened in Switzerland is still worth paying attention to.

It is also a good reason to look beyond the colour of the bottle and ask a more important question:

What exactly are you putting into your toilet tank?