§ Mrs. Shirley Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all the research studies into the toxic effects of lead on human beings which have been financed by his Department since January 1974, the cost of each project, and who was responsible for undertaking it.
§ Mr. William SheltonThe Medical Research Council receives a grant—in—aid from the science budget of my Department, for the support of biomedical research. Since 1976, the projects supported by the council, which have a direct bearing on the toxic effects of lead on human beings, are as follows: 159W
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Total spent to March 1981 (historic prices) £ MRC Environmental Hazards and Toxicology Units Development and trials of methods of analysis of air pollutants Ongoing until 1980 190,000 (from 1976) Electron microscopy of lead, asbestos and other air—borne particles Ongoing until 1980 29,000 (from 1976) MRC Dental Unit Survey of the lead content of teeth from various Bristol suburbs Ongoing 79,000 (from 1976) MRC Cyclotron Unit Production of lead isotope 203-Pb for use in tracer studies of absorption of environmental lead in the body and toxicological studies Ongoing 20,000 (from 1976) Research Grants Professor A. Goldberg (University of Glasgow): Metabolic aspects of lead exposure 1976–1980 27,000 Dr. D. Barltrop (St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London): Nutritional determinants of lead absorption in human population 1977–1980 34,000 Dr. R. Stephens and Dr. H. A. Waldron (University of Birmingham): Pilot study of tooth lead levels 1977–1981; 16,000 Dr. M. E. Hilburn and Professor J. A. Blair (University of Aston): Intestinal absorption of lead compounds 1978–1980 1,000 Professor P. D. Griffiths and Professor J. Walker (University of Dundee): Assessments of blood lead levels in the newborn 1979–1981 8,000 Professor J. H. Fremlin (University of Birmingham): Application of techniques of nuclear physics to medical diagnosis and therapy (involving the development of an nonivaise method of estimating the amount of lead in bones of living subjects by X-ray fluorescence) 1980–1982 2,000 Dr. D. R. Chettle, Professor J. H. Fremlin and Dr. M. C. Scott (University of Birmingham): Measurements of toxic heavy metals in vivo 1980–1982 26,000 Dr. W. Yule (Institute of Psychiatry, London) and Dr. R. G. Lansdown (Hospital for Sick Children, London): Relationship between blood levels and intelligence, behaviour and attainment in school children 1980 6,000
Total spent to March 1981 (historic prices) £ Dr. W. Yule (Institute of Psychiatry, London) and Dr. R. G. Lansdown (Hospital for Sick Children London): Blood lead, social factors, intelligence, behaviour and attainments in school children 1981–1983 £29,000 (annual cost per annum) Comparable information for the period 1974–76 is not available except at disproportionate cost.
The Council is also supporting other research projects, parts of which may relate less directly to the effects of lead on humans.
Additional research in this area has been carried out at universities, using funds provided through the University Grants Committee as block grants for teaching and research.