§ Mr. StinchcombeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the possible link between Lindane and incidents of breast cancer. [38053]
§ Mr. RookerThe Department of Health's independent Committee on Carcinogenity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) reviewed the available data on breast cancer in women and levels of lindane in serum and breast fat tissue in 1995. The Committee concluded that there was no clear evidence of an association between serum and fat levels of lindane and breast cancer at the present time, and recommended that the112W matter be kept under review. The Department of Health is currently conducting a search for any new scientific data on lindane and if fresh information is uncovered, this will be referred to the COC for further consideration.