§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration he has given to the recent report inThe Lanceton research in Australia pointing to a link between malignant melanoma and exposure to fluorescent lighthing at work; if he will be initiating any comparable research in this country or taking other action; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Waldegrave:The authors of the report to which the hon. Member refers warn that the findings of their study should be interpreted cautiously until more data accumulates from other studies. I understand that it has been known for some time that low levels of ultra violet light, such as may be emitted by some types of fluorescent lighting, can induce skin carcinomas in animals, though it is thought that everyday exposure to sunlight is a far larger contributor to the incidence of skin cancer in humans than is ultra violet radiation from lighting.
Two of the contributors to the report inThe Lancetwork at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and I understand that they have made it clear that they are examining the association further in the United Kingdom. In addition, research into skin cancers is being carried out at a number of locations in this country with the support of the Medical Research Council, which also supports a considerable body of work on the relationship between various kinds of radiation and cancer.