HC Deb 28 February 1996 vol 272 cc619-20W
Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cases of industrial asthma have been recorded in the past 10 years; and how many cases of industrial asthma where the sensitiser was flour have been recorded since the milling and handling of flour became recognised as a cause of industrial asthma. [16897]

Sir Paul Beresford

The table shows the number of new cases of assessed disablement from occupational asthma from prescribed agents under the industrial injuries scheme in Great Britain. The first complete year of record is 1983.

Year Total new cases Cases due to flour and grain dust
1983 183 54
1984 137 32
1985 166 54
1986 166 46
1987 220 50
1988 222 40
1989 220 43
1990 216 55
1991 293 64
1992 553 60
1993 510 66
1994 506 59

No provisional estimates for 1995 is yet available as the data are still being collated and checked by the Department of Social Security.