§ Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements have been made to implement the recommendation in the ninth report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution that a programme to monitor the body burden of lead in man should be undertaken.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIn 1981, the Government announced that lead in petrol would be reduced from 0.4 to 0.15 grammes per litre—the lowest level that can be used in current car engines—by the end of 1985. This means an immediate reduction of 60 per cent. in all petrol. At the same time, lead solder in most food cans is being phased out; and other action such as the treatment of "soft" water supplies should be taking effect.
Last year the Government accepted a recommendation by the Royal Commission on environmental pollution that a programme should be set up to monitor the effect of these changes. Proposals for such a monitoring programme, coordinated by the Department of the Environment, have been endorsed by the steering committee on environmental lead monitoring, which includes representatives from the local authority associations. Sampling will be carried out by local authorities working with district health authorities; blood samples will also be obtained from police in four forces. Arrangements have been made to carry out the monitoring in the spring of this and the next three years.
Sampling will take place in the London boroughs of Bexley, Brent, Greenwich, Lambeth and Waltham Forest; Birmingham; Bristol; Liverpool; Manchester; Sedgemoor and Sheffield. Each local survey will cover about 100 people who will each be asked to give a small sample of blood; adults will be asked to agree to be sampled again in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Any children sampled will be included only once, and their blood will also be examined for immune status to diseases including polio and measles. Samples will be taken from volunteers from a selection of people initially approached. In addition, blood samples will be taken from volunteer officers in the Devon arid Cornwall Constabulary, the Greater Manchester police, the Metropolitan police and the West Midlands police. The procedures will ensure confidentiality of personal data and close liaison with the volunteer's family doctor.