HC Deb 24 July 1996 vol 282 cc510-1W
Sir Graham Bright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the link between airborne particulates and premature death; [39553]

(2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the potential beneficial effects of reducing airborne particulate levels in urban areas;[39554]

(3) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the link between airborne particulate levels and asthma. [39556]

Mr. Horam

In November 1995 the Department of Health published a report of the expert advisory Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, "Non-Biological Particles and Health", copies of which are in the Library.

Further research has been commissioned under the joint Department of Health, Department of the Environment and Medical Research Council research strategy on air pollution and respiratory disease.

Sir Graham Bright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of airborne particulates his Department currently assesses to be safe. [39555]

Mr. Horam

The Department of the Environment's expert panel on air quality standards, to which this Department contributes, has made a recommendation for an air quality standard for particulates (PM10) in the United Kingdom of 50 µg/m3, measured as a 24-hour running average. The panel considered that very few individuals in the population will react adversely to this concentration of particles.