§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he has received any recommendation from the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on the status of welder's lung as an industrial disease; (2) what information he has as to the incidence of the condition known as welder's lung; what are the numbers presently suffering from it; and what is the number of deaths directly or partially attributed to it in each of the past three years.
§ Mr. RossiWelder's lung is not a description related to a defined medical condition and, as far as I am aware, no statistics relating to it are available. Nevertheless, in a widely accepted interpretation the term refers to a condition caused when iron-oxide fumes are inhaled and some metal is retained; this may show up on an X-ray. I am advised that no symptons are produced, there is no disabling effect and that shadows shown by X-ray may subsequently clear. The Industrial injuries Advisory Council has made no recommendations about welder's lung.