§ Ms CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the latest studies funded by her Department of causes of premature mortality related to(a) environmental pollution, (b) deprived material conditions of work and (c) other forms of material deprivation.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe small area health statistics unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is666W funded by the Department of Health, Department of Environment, Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Office, Welsh Office and Northern Ireland Office. The unit is conducting a number of studies to determine whether cancers are associated with environmental pollution associated with local sources of pollution.
These are as follows:
The Department is also funding the following:
- 1. Cancer incidence and mortality around PBI Ltd., Waltham Abbey.
- 2. TV and Radio Transmitters: the initial local concern was around Sutton Goldfield, but there are others which are included in the study.
- 3. Municipal Incinerators: the study covered 72 incinerators around Great Britain, being all those licensed sites which burn household, commercial and/or industrial waste and for which the relevant information was available.
- 4. BP Petrochemical Works, Baglan Bay.
- 5. Vinyl Chloride Works.
The Department also supports the newly formed Medical Research Council Institute for Environment and Health at the University of Leicester. This will act as a focus to co-ordinate work on chemical environmental pollutants.
- 1. A research project which will examine the health effects of the December 1991 air pollution episode in London and is due to be completed later this year.
- 2. The Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit which is currently undertaking two research projects, due to be completed later this year, into the incidence of asthma in the United Kingdom and the European Community.
The Department has not funded any studies into causes of premature mortality related to conditions of work or "other forms of deprivation".