§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the dangers posed to human health of blue asbestos dust particles distributed in smoke from the fire at the railway carriage storage yard in Leicester on 10 March.
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 21 March 1991]: An extensive monitoring programme was initiated by Leicester city council soon after the onset of the fire at the railway storage yard. No asbestos fibres were detected in any of the samples taken. It was concluded therefore that the risk to the general public from this incident was very low. It is recognised, however, that such fires involving asbestos cause concern and therefore the Department has sponsored research on this subject for some years. Updated advice on asbestos in fires has just been published by the Department in the revised edition of "Asbestos Materials in Buildings", a free copy of which was sent to all local authorities in England and Wales.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the work of the world conservation monitoring centre in Cambridge in relation to the Gulf.
§ Mr. Baldry[holding answer 21 March 1991]: As I indicated to the honourable Member on 15 March at column 1384 I pay tribute to the work of the world conservation monitoring centre in Cambridge, who have carried out regular assessments of the ecological resources of the Gulf states and how the oil slick and smoke plumes are likely to affect them.