§ Mr. Norman Hoggasked the Prime Minister which Government Departments are actively involved in the control of environmental pollution by asbestos; approximately what is the average number of asbestos fibres inhaled by a child each hour in urban air and in rural air in Britain; above what level of asbestos fibres in air, expressed as the approximate number of asbestos figures 13W per cubic metre of air, the Government Departments concerned regard as unreasonable environmental asbestos pollution; and what official national and international standards have been set for the control of environmental asbestos polluting to protect members of the general public.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Department of the Environment takes the lead in the control of environmental pollution by asbestos. The Department of Education and Science is concerned with asbestos in schools and the Department of Health and Social Security is concerned with asbestos in hospitals. The Department of Trade and Industry has responsibility for asbestos in consumer products and the Health and Safety Executive regulates asbestos emissions from factories. The Welsh Office, Scottish Office and Northern Ireland Office are responsible for these matters in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Measurements of asbestos fibre concentrations in the environment differ widely and are subject to considerable uncertainties. No meaningful estimate of the number of fibres inhaled by a child can be given. The Department of the Environment does not consider that the number of airborne asbestos fibres measured in an "environmental" situation by itself is a reasonable basis for controlling the risk to the general public. The Department advises that environmental concentration of airborne asbestos fibres should be kept as low as is reasonably practicable.
It follows that no national standard has been set for ambient air quality nor am I aware of such a standard having been set in any other country.
§ Mr. Norman Hoggasked the Prime Minister which Government Department has the principal interest in the control of environmental asbestos pollution; and what published advice is available or what unpublished instructions there are in this regard from the Department concerned for the control of environmental asbestos pollution.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Department of the Environment has the principal responsibility for the control of environmental asbestos pollution. It issued advice on this subject in its booklet "Asbestos Materials in Buildings", which was sent to all local authorities (in England and Wales) with circular DOE 21/83 (WO.45/83) in August last year. The booklet is also available from HMSO. Advice to householders was published in December last year in the free leaflet "Asbestos in Housing", over 300,000 copies of which have been distributed.
The Department has also published guidance on waste disposal in two Waste Management Papers No. 18, titled "Asbestos Wastes", and No. 23 titled "Special wastes: a technical memorandum providing guidance on their definition."