HC Deb 27 January 1997 vol 289 cc14-6W
Mr. Ainger

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of(a) the quantity of (i) white asbestos and (ii) brown and blue asbestos, removed from structures in each of the last 10 years and (b) the quantity which remains in structures. [12680]

Mr. Clappison

No estimates of the quantity of asbestos removed from or remaining within structures have been made by my Department.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many deaths have resulted from exposure to asbestos in the workplace in each of the last 10 years; [12682]

(2) how many deaths resulted from non-occupational exposure to asbestos in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the number of deaths from non-occupational exposure to asbestos in each of the next three decades; [12671]

(3) what estimate he has made of the number of deaths which will result from occupational exposure to asbestos in each of the next three decades; [12683]

(4) how many deaths from occupational exposure to asbestos there were in each of the last 10 years, categorised according to type of occupation. [12687]

Sir Paul Beresford

Exposure to asbestos can cause three serious diseases—mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. The table shows the total number of deaths with a cause of death mentioning mesothelioma or asbestosis in each of the years from 1985 to 1994 for males and females combined. These are the latest data available.

Most cases of mesothelioma are believed to be caused by asbestos exposure, although there is also believed to be a background rate of mesothelioma deaths which may account for about 100 cases annually in this country. This figure is expected to remain static over the next three decades. The remaining cases of mesothelioma can be assumed to be due to asbestos exposure, and most of this exposure to have been occupational.

Mesothelioma Asbestosis (without mesothelioma)
1985 617 140
1986 704 166
1987 814 143
1988 872 151
1989 909 155
1990 885 164
1991 1,011 163
1992 1,082 150
1993 1,139 172
1994 1,235 174

The data currently available on deaths from mesothelioma suggest that the number of deaths in men in 10 years, time could range between 1,000 and 2,100; in 20 years, time between 1,300 and 3,000 and in 30 years, time between 1,000 and 3,200. These projections are based on a paper, "The continuing increase in mesothelioma mortality in Britain", which was published in The Lancet on 3 March 1995. This paper discusses the uncertainties attached to the projections, which increase considerably beyond about 2010. The projections are confined to men because there are too few deaths among women to provide stable projections of future mortality. There were 152 female mesothelioma deaths in 1994.

No projections have been made of how the numbers of asbestosis cases may increase, but the long latency of the asbestos-related diseases, which is anything from 15 to 60 years, means that these deaths are occurring from exposures that generally took place long ago.

From the available data it is not possible to attribute individual cases of mesothelioma reliably to exposure within a particular occupation. For a discussion of occupational patterns for mesothelioma I refer the hon. Member to chapter 9 of the "Occupational Health Decennial Supplement" published in 1995 by the then Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and the Health and Safety Executive, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Deaths from asbestos-related lung cancer are indistinguishable from those caused by other factors, including smoking. Currently there are estimated to be one or two deaths from asbestos-related lung cancer for each death from mesothelioma. The falling prevalence of smoking is likely to reduce this ratio in future because the effects of asbestos and tobacco multiply each other.

Mr. Ainger

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the regulation of white asbestos in products imported into the United Kingdom. [12686]

Sir Paul Beresford

The range of asbestos products which may be manufactured, imported, supplied and used in the United Kingdom is restricted by the provisions of an EU directive (91/659/EEC), which bans certain uses and a range of products containing white asbestos. This directive is implemented in the United Kingdom by the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 in Great Britain, the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1993 for Northern Ireland and the Asbestos Products (Safety) Regulations 1985, as amended in 1987.

Forward to