§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what steps his Department is taking to(a) monitor the number of men and women dying from mesothelioma, (b) monitor the age of the men and women dying from mesothelioma and (c) estimate the specific years that the victims of mesothelioma faced exposure to asbestos; [15214]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the occupational backgrounds of the victims of mesothelioma. [15216]
§ Mr. OppenheimThe Health and Safety Executive receives copies from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and the General Register Office (Scotland) of all death certificates mentioning mesothelioma. The age, sex, latest full-time occupation, and other details on the death certificate are recorded on a database. Tabulations of mesothelioma deaths by age and sex are published in "Health and Safety Statistics", a copy of which is available in the Library.
An analysis of the occupational breakdown of mesothelioma deaths will be published in the "Occupational Health Decennial Supplement", a joint publication by OPCS and HSE, on Thursday 30 March 1995. A copy will be placed in the Library.
The timing of mesothelioma victims' asbestos exposure cannot be determined from routine sources. This issue is to be addressed in a planned case control study of mesothelioma cases.