HC Deb 10 November 1980 vol 992 cc15-6W
Mr. Norman Hogg

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a list of chemicals or products currently in use in industry which contain substances relevant to prescribed industrial disease No. 39 (bladder cancer), together with the dates when other such chemicals or products were withdrawn from use.

Mr. Mayhew

The definition of substances relevant to prescribed industrial disease No. 39 is set out in the first schedule to the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations 1959 (SI 1959 No. 467).

It is impracticable to produce a list of chemicals and products currently in use in industry which contain the relevant substances because the necessary information is not currently available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Consequently, 1 cannot publish a list as requested by the hon. Member.

For the same reason, it is also impracticable to publish dates when other such chemicals or products were withdrawn from use. Nevertheless, the manufacture and use in factories of some of the relevant substances—beta-naphylamine, benzidine, 4-aminodiphenyl, 4-nitrodiphenyl and their salts—is prohibited under the Carcinogenic Substances Regulations 1967 (SI 1967 No. 879), except where any of these substances is present, as a byproduct of a chemical reaction, in any other substance in a total concentration not exceeding 1 per cent.

These regulations came into force on 9 December 1967 and concurrently the importation of the same substances was prohibited by the Carcinogenic Substances (Prohibition of Importation) Order 1967 (SI 1967 No. 1675).