§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement following the World Health Organisation investigation into the levels of PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs in breast milk.
§ Mr. FreemanThe draft report of the World Health Organisation into the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzoparadioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in breast milk is among the data being considered by the Department's committee on toxicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment. It has been asked to advise on the possible health effects from all dioxins.
§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the presence of organochlorines in infant body tissues.
§ Mr. FreemanOrganochlorine compounds persist in body fat which is therefore a good indicator of exposure of body tissues. Surveys of human fat for these compounds were done in the United Kingdom between 1963 and 1977 as well as more recently between 1982 and 1983. These surveys dealt with persons aged five years and over but the 1982–83 survey also looked at four samples of fat from infants aged from five days to three months. The results confirmed that residues of organochlorine compounds (OCCs) might occur in newly born infants but the results were too few to allow further interpretation. A further survey of human fat is being planned and it is intended to look at samples from infants where available. The levels of OCCs found in these human fat samples show a downward trend and are unlikely to result in any adverse health effects.
§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is available to his Department on the presence of organochlorines in breast milk and umbilical cord tissue.
§ Mr. FreemanSurveys of organochlorine compounds in breast milk were carried out in the United Kingdom in 1979–80 and 1983–84, the results being published in MAFF food surveillance papers No. 9 (1982) and 16 (1986). Copies of these are in the Library.
There are no United Kingdom data on levels of organochlorine compounds in placental tissue and umbilical cord blood, but limited information from other countries, available in the published scientific literature, shows that organochlorine compounds do cross the placenta into the foetus. However, these compounds are highly fat-soluble and greater exposures occur postnatally via breastmilk than prenatally via the placenta.
The independent expert committee advising the Government on these matters, the committee on the toxicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment, has stated that the toxicological information available is not adequate to exclude the possibility of effects on infant health from exposure to organochlorine compounds in breast milk, and recommended continued monitoring of human milk samples in the United Kingdom. A further survey has been planned.