HC Deb 12 April 1994 vol 241 cc25-7W
Ms Corston

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the latest studies funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of causes of premature mortality related to(a) environmental pollution, (b) deprived material conditions of work and (c) other forms of material deprivation.

Mr. Waldegrave

The latest studies funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of causes of premature mortality related to(a) environmental pollution, (b) deprived material conditions of work and (c) other forms of material deprivation are as follows:

a. Environmental Pollution The Effects of Warmer Winters on Morbidity and Mortality in Great Britain; Climate Change Melanoma Risk and Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation. Climate Change and Human Health: A Review; Climate Change and the Incidence and Costs of Food Poisoning in England and Wales. ESRC-funded Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (co-located at University College London and the University of East Anglia).

b. Deprived Material Conditions of Work There are no projects specifically dealing with the relation between mortality and deprived conditions of work although employment is an aspect of much of the more general research on deprivation and mortality which is listed under (c).

c. Other Forms of Material Deprivation The Health of an Invisible Minority: The Irish in Britain Liverpool University Income Distribution and National Mortality Rates Sussex University, Centre for Medical Research Deprivation" Indicators: Stability and Reliability over Locality and Lifecycle City University Influence of Geographical Setting on Social Differences in Health University of London Limiting Long Term Illness: Geographical Inequalities and Their Associations University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences Health Inequalities Between Women and Their Families City University Health and Social Circumstances from Birth to Mid-Life London: Institute of Child Health The Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities Policy Studies Institute A Comparison of Women's Health Concerns in Four Societies: A Feasibility Study.

In addition to the above studies funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, further work is also being financed by the Medical Research Council on issues referred to in this parliamentary question. The Department of Health and the universities may also be funding some research which may be relevant.

Ms Corston

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the latest studies funded by the Medical Research Council of causes of premature mortality related to(a) environmental pollution, (b) deprived material conditions of work and (c) other forms of material deprivation.

Mr. Waldegrave

The latest studies funded by the Medical Research Council of causes of premature mortality related to(a) environmental pollution, (b) deprived material conditions of work and (c) other forms of material deprivation are as follows:

(a) Environmental Pollution The MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit in Southampton:

  1. (i) Carcinogenicity of pesticides and styrene.
  2. (ii) exposure to aluminium in drinking water and possible association with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The MRC Cell Mutation Unit (University of Sussex, Brighton, and the MRC Toxicology Unit in Leicester jointly): Mutant frequency in individuals exposed to petrochemicals as a result of the Braer oil spillage.

(b) Deprived Material Conditions of Work

The MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit in Southampton:

  1. (i) the possible association between the risk of leukaemia and lymphoma and father's occupational exposure to radiation.
  2. (ii) The possible link between papillomavirus and lung cancer in butchers.
  3. (iii) the relation of mortality to specific aspects of work in submariners.
  4. (iv) whether exposure to mineral acid mists poses an important risk to health.
  5. (v) incidence of cancer in molecular biology research workers.
  6. (vi) mortality and cancer incidence of workers from a paper mill.
  7. (vii) respiratory disease in radiographers.
  8. (viii) national analysis of occupational mortality.

The MRC Cell Mutation Unit (University of Sussex, Brighton)Mutant frequencies in workers exposed to low levels of radiation in the nuclear industry.

The MRC Radiobiology UnitThe effects of alpha radiation on haemopoietic stem cells in the context of radiation leukaemogenesis.

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College and Middlesex School of MedicinePossible explanations for the observation that civil servants in the lowest grades have higher levels of heart disease, chronic bronchitis, diabetes and other illnesses.

c) Other Forms of Material Deprivation

The MRC Cell Mutation Unit (University of Sussex, Brighton)Mutant frequency in the parents of children who have developed leukaemia.

MRC Medical Sociology Unit in GlasgowThe differences in morbidity and mortality at the national level between areas of residence.

Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Gibson Laboratories, OxfordAn investigation of cancer mortality in the vicinity of nuclear establishments in England and Wales.

The H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol—

MRC supported research

Possible links between exposure to domestic radon and various non-lung cancers.

In addition to the above studies funded by the Medical Research Council, further work is also being financed by the Economic and Social Research Council on issues referred to in this parliamentary question. The Department of Health and universities may also be funding some research which may be relevant.