§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to adopt the recommendations of the International Commission of Radiological Protection on the adoption of a gut uptake factor of 0.001 to be used in radiation dose calculations.
§ Mr. CurryI have been asked to reply.
Gut uptake factors used by the authorising Departments (the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution) in radiation dose calculations are based on advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), which in turn takes account of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Details of NRPB recommended gut uptake factors are published in "Documents of the NRPB" Volume 1, No. 2 (1990), a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to take account of the findings of the radiobiology department of St. Bartholomew's hospital medical school, London in relation to the gut uptake factor levels adopted by her Department to calculate radiation dose levels.
§ Mr. CurryI have been asked to reply.
The findings referred to have been submitted to MAFF and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in a response to public consultation on proposed new authorisations for the discharge of radioactive wastes from British Nuclear Fuel's Sellafield plant. They will be considered by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for the Environment along with all other responses received in the light of advice from the National Radiological Protection Board.