§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the contamination by(a) dioxins and (b) furans in each local government area in England and Wales; and what action he proposes to take.
§ Mr. AtkinsNo assessment has been made by local government area, as this would be prohibitively expensive. However, a general assessment has been made of contamination, including dioxins and furans, in soil across England and Wales on a 50 km grid basis. This was published in November 1989 by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. A programme was also started in 1991 measuring various micropollutants in air, which includes dioxins and furans, in five towns and cities.