§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities and experienced personnel are available within the national health service to detect, study and report on the incidence of illness resulting from nuclear radiation contamination.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 18 January 1993]: Currently, there is no known method of directly identifying disease in an individual which has been induced wholly or in part by exposure to low levels of radiation in the environment. In order to establish whether an excess incidence of disease in a given population is associated in some way with external factors, accepted public health practice is to subject the available data to epidemiological study. The national health service employs public health professionals in each region and district whose responsibilities include monitoring the health of the local population and investigating unusual patterns of disease. Statistics on disease are also monitored at the national 538W level. In addition, the Department has established the small area health statistics unit which is concerned with the assessment of any risk to the health of the population from point source contamination. In relation to environmental radiation, the results of epidemiological studies are referred to the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, a group of independent experts which was set up to assess and advise the Government on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation in the environment, and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research.