§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for Employment what research is at present being conducted into possible cancer hazards amongst workers in the tyre-making section of the rubber industry; and what financial assistance is given by his Department towards the cost of such research.
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§ Mr. Dudley SmithMy Department's Employment Medical Advisory Service is continuing an epidemiological study started in February 1967 of all male workers aged 35 and over who had been employed at that time for one year or more in the rubber and cable-making industries, including those engaged in tyre-making. The British Rubber Manufacturers' Association is also carrying out, at its own expense, a complementary research project in association with the University of Birmingham in respect of workers engaged primarily in the tyre-making section of the industry. In addition, the Factory Inspectorate is cooperating with the industry to implement a method of evaluating certain airborne contaminants which might constitute a cancer hazard in particular processes.