§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients resident in each regional health authority have(a) been treated for, or (b) died as a result of, radon gas exposure in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information requested is not available. The effect of exposure to radon gas can be the later development of lung cancer, but there is no way to detect the difference between lung cancers caused by smoking, by radon exposure, or by other factors. On the basis of research studies, the National Radiological Protection Board estimates that exposure to radon in the home may be responsible for about 2,000 premature lung cancer deaths a year in the United Kingdom, but no regional breakdown of this overall estimate is available.