§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will promote research to investigate possible links between pneumoconiosis and lung cancer.
213W
§ Mr. CroslandResearch into both pneumoconiosis and lung cancer is being supported by public funds, and includes work undertaken by Medical Research Council Units. At least one investigation has been carried out into the causes of death in coal miners with known amounts of pneumoconiosis and this has shown that the death rates for lung cancer in coal miners with advanced pneumoconiosis is no greater than the average for the general population; for coal miners with less advanced pneumoconiosis this rate is below the national average. However, no clear relationship between pneumoconiosis of coal workers and lung cancer has been established.
In Great Britain the death rate of coal miners from lung cancer is appreciably lower than the national rate for men of comparable age.