§ 48. Mr. D. Howellasked the Prime Minister to what extent the Atomic Energy Research Department's inquiries into the incidence of radiostrontium in human bones in Birmingham are related to the fact that the City of Birmingham's water supply is drawn from the Welsh mountains; whether he will ensure that 92W similar observations will be regularly carried out; and whether he will take medical advice upon the significance of the high quantities found in the bones of babies and young children in Birmingham as compared with adults.
§ The Prime Minister:Radiostrontium measurements, which are being made on an increasing scale, are regularly reported to the Medical Research Council who keep the matter under constant review. The higher concentration of radiostrontium in the bones of children, as compared with adults, in Birmingham, corresponds with the findings elsewhere. The amount of radioactivity absorbed by human beings from drinking water is of a small order.