§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the levels of natural background radiation and the rates of mortality from (a) leukaemia, and (b) other forms of cancer, in the following areas: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Hull, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cornwall, Cardiff, North Wales, Galloway, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dounreay, respectively.
§ Mr. MoyleI am informed by the National Radiological Protection Board that the contribution from cosmic radiation to the annual background radiation dose rate is about 30 millirad (mrad) at sea level throughout the United Kingdom. The annual contribution from natural radioactivity within the human body is about 20 mrd on average and varies little with geographical location in the United Kingdom.
Measurements of the annual contributions from terrestrial radiation in all the particular areas mentioned are not readily available but in the United Kingdom contributions lie between about 10 mrad and 100 mrad. The annual terrestrial dose rates outdoors in London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen have been measured and are mrad, 32 mrad and 66 mrad respectively. The doses actually received from terrestrial radiation are influenced by types of material used in building construction as well as by geographical location.
The rates of mortality from leukaemia and other forms of cancer for the places mentioned in England and Wales are set 272W out below. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has provided the figures for the places in Scotland. All the figures relate to 1976 and the rates of mortality are expressed per 100,000 population. The rates marked with an asterisk are based on less than 20 deaths and may therefore be an unreliable measure.
Leukaemia Other forms of Cancer Greater London 7 263 Liverpool (MCD) 7 312 Southampton (CD) 4* 260 Kingston upon Hull (CD) 6* 254 Newcastle upon Tyne (MCD) 6* 315 Cornwall 10 269 Cardiff (CD) 6* 261 North Wales (Gwynedd and Clwyd) 8 268 Galloway (Wigtown and Stewartry) 3.8* 243 Glasgow (city) 5.6 318 Edinburgh (city) 5.1 283.2 Aberdeen (city) 6.7* 252.6 Dounreay (Caithness) 10.2* 193.6