Radiation (Hansard, 10 January 1990)

§ Mr. Freeman

The committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment was established in 1985 to advise Government on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation in the environment and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research. The Government are grateful to COMARE for the three reports the committee has produced so far (1, 2, 3).

The Committee's future work programme will include:

(i) an update and review on cancer incidence in young people in the vicinity of BNFL Sellafield, in the light of emerging epidemiological work commissioned by Government in 1984 and other relevant work;
(ii) an assessment of the feasibility of advising Government on the evidence relating to leukaemia incidence in young people around Scottish nuclear sites and over Scotland as a whole;
(iii) follow-up of the results of work recommended by the Black advisory group (4) and COMARE's second and third reports (2, 3);
(iv) an overview of the evidence relating to the incidence of childhood cancer around nuclear installations once the results of studies of the geographical distribution of childhood cancer incidence on a nationwide basis become available.

In addition, COMARE will assess evidence relating to the health effects of domestic exposure to radon as further data become available. More generally, the committee will continue to review other relevant information on the health effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation in the environment and to advise Government accordingly.

References:

1. COMARE First Report: The implications of the new data on the releases from Sellafield in the 1950s for the conclusions of the Report on the Investigations of the possible increased incidence on cancer in West Cumbria. HMSO 1986.
2. COMARE Second Report: Investigation of the possible increased incidence of leukaemia in young people near Dounreay Nuclear Establishment, Caithness, Scotland. HMSO 1988.
3. COMARE Third Report: Report on the incidence of childhood cancer in the West Berkshire and North Hampshire area, in which are situated the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, Aldermaston and the Royal Ordnance Factory, Burghfield. HMSO 1989.
4. Investigation of the possible increased incidence of cancer in West Cumbria. Report of the independent advisory group, chairman: Sir Douglas Black. HMSO 1984.