§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been conducted into the effects on the environment and health of the increase in use of benzene in motor fuel; and if she will make a statement.
(2) what evidence she has as to any link between benzene and causes of leukaemia; and if she will make a statement;
(3) what evaluation she has made of the genotoxic nature of benzene in the atmosphere; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleBenzene is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human698W carcinogen. The Department of Health's Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has advised that benzene is a genotoxic carcinogen. In certain occupational groups, prolonged exposure to levels of benzene many times greater than those present in ambient air has been associated with an increased risk of leukaemia. This evidence was considered carefully by the Department of the Environment's expert panel on air quality standards when they recommended an air quality standard for benzene of five parts per billion, rolling annual average concentration and a further target standard of one part per billion.