HC Deb 16 November 1981 vol 13 c55W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) men and (b) women were certified as having died from bronchitis for the latest year for which figures are available; and what evidence there is to suggest that occupational hazards were the cause of the disease.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

The information is as follows:

Death and death rates per million population in England and Wales from bronchitis (ICD 466,490,491) 1980:
Number Rate
Male 13,479 562
Female 5,245 208

The death certificate does not enable death from bronchitis to be attributed to occupational hazards. There is some evidence that bronchitis is common in workers in certain occupations but this remains inconclusive and the present state of medical knowledge does not make it possible to determine clinically whether a particular case of bronchitis was due to a person's occupation or whether it was due to other factors.

Further information is available from the Registrar General's decennial supplement on occupational mortality 1970–72; but again this does not resolve the question of whether dust exposure specifically effects the incidence of the disease or aggravates existing conditions.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many working days were lost due to bronchitis for the latest year for which figures are available.

Mrs. Chalker

The information is not available in the form requested. However, for claims to sickness and invalidity benefit in the year ending 31 May 1980 the days of incapacity certified as due to bronchitis totalled 28.5 million. If those people whose incapacity lasted throughout the year are excluded, the total of days falls to 11.1 million.