§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the incidence of iodine 125 in thyroid glands in the London area.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Department has recently received a draft report of research funded by the Department of the176W Environment entitled "Iodine 125—its distribution in the United Kingdom from measurements and biological monitoring, and absorbed doses (individual and collective) derived from measured activities in human thyroids". In accordance with normal practice, the Department has referred the draft report for peer-review. However, I am advised by the Department of the Environment that levels of radioactivity in the River Thames are extremely low and that the levels in drinking water are well below the guideline values recommended by the World Health Organisation and the International Commission on Radiological Protection.