§ Mr. Nicholas Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment what information has been collected by the 610W Health and Safety Executive on occupational cancers in the rubber, plastics and chemical industries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerThe Health and Safety Executive is undertaking a number of studies whose aim is to identify any occupational cancers, or other conditions, among groups of workers in the rubber, plastics and chemical industries. Reports have been produced on the causes of death of workers in the rubber industry and of those working with acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride monomer — VCM. Reports on studies of workers exposed to styrene and carbon black are being prepared for publication. Cancer registration studies have recently been set up for three groups of workers exposed to chemicals likely to contain impurities of the dioxin family.
Certain occupational cancers are notified under Factories Act regulations or are prescribed as industrial diseases by the Department of Health and Social Security. Cases reported under these arrangements are kept under review. Some information is also published in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys' decennial supplement on occupational mortality.
The Carcinogenic Substances Regulations 1967 prohibit the use of certain carcinogenic compounds and control the use of others. The Health and Safety Executive is preparing draft regulations and draft approved codes of practice for the control of substances hazardous to health at work, including carcinogens, and hopes to issue a consultative document later this year.