§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish the preliminary results of the blood lead monitoring programme for 1986.
§ Mr. WaldegravePreliminary analysis of results from the surveys carried out in 1986 as part of my Department's blood lead monitoring programme shows a continuing fall in levels. Compared with 1985 the blood leads of children surveyed fell by about 1.5 ug/100ml (16 per cent.); those of police officers on traffic duties by about 2 ug/100ml (18 per cent.); and those of other adults sampled by about 1 ug/100m1 (10 per cent.).
Individually, the local surveys of children all showed falls in levels but these varied from 8 per cent. to 22 per cent. For exposed adults local changes varied from a fall of around 20 per cent. to a slight increase in one of the surveys. More detailed results will be made available in due course.