HC Deb 02 June 1997 vol 295 cc38-9W
Mr. Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the letter from Dr. Geoffrey Myddleton in theLancet of 21/28 December 1996, vol. 348, No. 9043, page 1744. [1806]

Ms Jowell

Dr. Myddleton's letter contains outdated information on concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in London air. Current concentrations are less than 1 ng/m3 (annual average) compared with 26–39 ng/m3 (annual average concentration) in 1962. The risk to health posed by carcinogens in urban air is very much smaller than that posed by cigarette smoking.

Mr. Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the carcinogenic effect of benzo (a) pyrene; and what are the major sources. [1804]

Ms Jowell

The carcinogenic effects of benzo(a)pyrene were examined by the Department of Health Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) in 1994. The Committee's conclusions were published in the COC Annual Report, copies of which have been placed in the Library. An updated assessment will be published in the 1996 Annual Report. The major sources of benzo (a) pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in the air are the various forms of combustion of fossil fuels including, in urban areas, motor vehicles.

Mr. Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the atmospheric presence of 3,4-benzpyrene in London and its implications for health. [1805]

Ms Jowell

The concentration of 3,4-benzpyrene is measured for the Department of the Environment at a site in Marsham Street, SW1. Data are currently being considered by the Department of the Environment/ Department of Health Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards with a view to recommending an air quality standard. A report is expected in 1998.