§ Mr. MarlowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the conclusions of(a) the fourth report by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment and (b) the National Radiological Protection Board R-276 report, in respect of childhood leukaemia and domestic radon; and what estimate he has made of the reduction in incidence of childhood leukaemia if the radon action limit were reduced to 200 bq per cubic metre. [34056]
§ Mr. HoramThe Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment's fourth report concluded that there was a continuing excess of leukaemia and other cancers in Seascale ward over four decades. This excess is unlikely to be due to chance alone. A number of possible factors which might have caused the excess have been considered but none of them, alone, could account for the increase. COMARE advised against further work specifically addressing the Seascale cluster until research indicates a new hypothesis to test. The Government accepted these conclusions.
The National Radiological Protection Board report R-276 was designed to provide input for COMARE. Its main conclusions were that the total number of fatal radiation induced leukaemias and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in the period 1945 to 1992 was 0.36, of which most—78 per cent.—were caused by natural radiation.
The United Kingdom action level for radon is already at 200 bq per cubic metre.