§ Mr. SkinnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the number of electron microscopes employed in the United Kingdom696W for the purposes of assessing the presence of asbestos fibres in lung tissue in order to advise (a) special medical boards on respiratory diseases; and (b) coroners. [70180]
§ Mr. BattleWithin the DTI, the Office of Science and Technology (OST) has a specific interest in areas of research using electron microscopes, investigating the health effects of fibre inhalation, including asbestos fibres, in relation to the pathogenesis of disease, through the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit in Leicester.
The DSS is responsible for "special medical boards" which, I am informed, do not use electron microscopy for assessing the presence of asbestos fibres in lung tissue. The Home Office are not aware of any figures for Coroners. My Department has no such estimate; even if it were possible to gather such information, it would involve disproportionate cost.