HL Deb 11 June 1996 vol 572 cc159-60WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What research they have conducted into the possible links between the high incidence of CJD in humans and BSE in cattle, and exposure to flourocetamide and other organochlorides and organophosphates used in pesticides and veterinary medicines within a five mile radius of the factory involved in the Smarden poisoning incident.

Lord Lucas

There is no evidence of any link between BSE and exposure to flourocetamide, organochlorides and organophosphates used in pesticides and veterinary medicines. The use of organophosphorus compounds as insecticides, which has been claimed either to cause BSE or render cows susceptible to BSE, has been considered by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (Addendum to Chapter 6 of the Committee's report on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies—A Summary of Present Knowledge and Research). The original BSE epidemiological investigation considered any possible association between the use of agricultural chemicals, including organophosphate pesticides, and the occurrence of BSE. None was found. The lesions of delayed neurotoxicity induced by organophosphorus compounds are clearly distinguishable from those in BSE. Many other countries without BSE use organophosphorus compounds on cattle. There is no geographical clustering of BSE cases in the Smarden area. Although there are unevenesses in geographical distribution of CJD cases the national CJD Surveillance Unit has failed to find any evidence for space-time clusters among the cases reported up to April 1995.