§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment when the Employment Medical Advisory Service survey of asbestos workers will be published.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the survey is long term and information about it is published from time to time. The latest position of the survey will be detailed in the EMAS Report of Work for 1975–76 which will be published early in 1978.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers have been examined in the Employment Medical Advisory Service survey of asbestos workers; how many have been found to have early diagnosable asbestosis; and what action is taken to notify such workers and their doctors.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that some 24,000 persons have so far been examined. The latest available figures show that 949 cases of early diagnosable asbestosis have been identified. All chest x-ray films and reports from radiologists and chest physicians are checked by Employment Medical Advisors within 24 hours of receipt. Wherever there are any abnormal clinical indications, whether of early diagnosable asbestosis or of other conditions which might call for further investigation or treatment, the workers concerned are referred to their general practitioners. The x-rays are subsequently referred to a panel of readers who provide three independent assessments of the 593W films, details of which are returned to the Employment Medical Adviser.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the main findings of all stages of the survey of asbestos workers which is being conducted by the Employment Medical Advisory Service.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commisson that phase I was a pilot study to test survey methods. Phases 2 and 3 are a long-term attempt to assess the effectiveness of the Asbestos Regulations 1969. It will take several years for any general conclusions to be drawn, but information about the survey will be published from time to time. Where survey findings suggest that action is needed, for example, in individual cases of exposure, this will be taken.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the Advisory Committee on Asbestos, being conducted by the Health and Safety Commission, to report.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, who also chairs the Advisory Committee, that the Committee is making good progress. The question of the precise quantitative relationship between asbestos exposure and the incidence of asbestos related diseases is complex, and the Committee does not intend to report on this until its medical working group have finished their careful consideration of the evidence. But the Committee is mindful of my request that any interim recommendations on which it is agreed should be submitted to the Health and Safety Commission and to me in advance of its final report. It is currently preparing recommendations for dealing with certain activities involving asbestos which present clear evidence of substantial risk, and the chairman expects the committee to be able to submit a report to the Health and Safety Commission and to me on this in the near future.