HL Deb 06 December 1988 vol 502 cc559-60WA
Lord Moran

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are investigating the possible health hazards from paper products which may contain dioxins as a result of the chlorine bleach process; and if so what are the results of their investigations.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)

I am aware of reports from North America and Scandinavia indicating that low levels of dioxins may be present in certain paper products. The Ministry's Food Science Division Laboratory already has a programme of research underway in order to determine the significance of dioxins in the diet, including any migration of dioxins from paper-derived packaging materials into food in the UK. The results of this work are expected to be available within the next three months.