HC Deb 21 February 1966 vol 725 cc2-3W
33. Mrs. Joyce Butler

asked the Minister of Labour what investigation has been made of the risk to workers processing reclaimed rubber made from imported articles made from suspected anti-oxidants; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Thornton

The Factory Inspectorate's investigations show that it is very difficult to obtain reliable information as to whether imported rubber articles had contained carcinogenic anti-oxidants, and it is not certain whether anti-oxidants persist in rubber articles by the time they come up for reclamation. The Factory Inspectorate is therefore pursuing with the industry the possibility of developing a chemical test for a wide range of carcinogenic substances which can be used to establish the presence of such substances in rubber.