HC Deb 25 November 1977 vol 939 c921W
Mr. Thompson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the inspections of fish and crustacea made by him in order to determine the level of pollution in the Solway Firth, specifying the areas involved, the species inspected, the frequency of inspection, the sorts of pollution for which inspection is made, and the results so far obtained.

Mr. McElhone

Monitoring of pollution levels in fish and shellfish landed for human consumption is carried out in the Solway Firth as part of a United Kingdom programme. Details of the results in relation to radioactivity are given in the publication "Radioactivity in Surface and Coastal Waters of the British Isles, 1976, Part I", which is available in the Library. In all cases, the levels of activity are low and present no hazard to the public. In addition, a report on pollutant levels, particularly of heavy metals, organochlorine pesticide residues and polychlorinated biphenyls (P.C.B.S.) will shortly be published and also placed in the Library.

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