§ Mr. LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been undertaken or evaluated by his Department to establish the health risks to the public posed by dioxins in the environment; [123510]
(2) if links have been established between dioxins and cancer in humans; [123511]
(3) what assessment he has made of the incidence of illnesses in the United Kingdom linked to dioxins (a) currently and (b) in 1995.[123480]
§ Yvette CooperThe Department and the Food Standards Agency seek advice on the health implications of dioxins from the independent expert advisory Committees on the Toxicity and on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The Committee on Toxicity has evaluated the scientific data on dioxins on a number of occasions, most recently in 1995. The evaluation can be found in the 1995 Annual Report of the Committee which is available in the Library. The Committee on Carcinogenicity concluded in 1998 that it would be prudent to consider one specific dioxin, 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, as a "probable weak human carcinogen". The Committee's statement can be found on the Department's Internet site www.doh.gov.uk/coc.htm, and in the 1998 Annual Report.
The Food Standards Agency funds research on dioxin in food and staff in the Agency actively contribute to the work of the European Commission Scientific Committee on Food Task Force on Dioxins. The Medical Research Council, which is the main agency through which Government supports research on the causes and treatment of disease, also funds research on dioxin as part of a programme on genetic susceptibility and resistance to xenobiotics.
No specific assessment has been made of the incidence of illnesses in the United Kingdom linked to dioxins.