Mr. R. W. Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) in view of the likely risk to woodworkers employed in the furniture industry of contracting nasal cancer, what steps are being taken by Her Department to initiate research and development into improved methods of wood dust extraction in the furniture industry;
(2) in view of the situation set out in the report of a working party established by the Department of Otolaryngology and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine concerning the incidence of nasal cancer in woodworkers employed in the furniture industry, a copy of which has been sent to her, whether she will make a statement on the action she proposes to take to deal with the problem.
§ Mr. HattersleyMy Department has been in touch for some time with this working party, headed by Dr. Acheson; and has given some assistance in tracing workers and obtaining occupational histories. The report was published on 8th June and my Department is now considering how best to determine more precisely the circumstances which gave rise to the risk of adenocarcinoma; to find out whether those circumstances still exist; and if so what can be done to deal with the risk.
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Factories will be approaching both sides of the industry about this in the near future.