§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have conducted any evaluations of the purity of the active ingredients and solvents in organophosphate sheep dip product ion formulations since the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food News Release 28/92 of January 1992; and, if so, who conducted the studies and with what results.[HL675]
§ Baroness HaymanYes. The active and other ingredients of organophosphorus (OP) sheep clips were reviewed as part of the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC)'s major review of OP sheep dips in 1992 and 1993. In its report published on 1 December 1993 (MAFF News Release No. 424/93), the VPC concluded that there was no firm scientific evidence available at that time to support the hypothesis that the chronic health effects reported were associated with exposure to the OP or other ingredients in sheep dips.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have commissioned any basic research into the nature and mechanisms of toxicity and other components and contaminants in the dipwash, as recommended in the Veterinary Products Committee report of February 1997; and, if so, who conducted the research and with what results.[HL676]
§ Baroness HaymanA full list of research and development projects relating to organophosphorus compounds was included in the report of the Official Group on OPs, published in June 1998. The list includes two projects of basic research into the nature and mechanisms of toxicity: a study of the long term electrophysiological effects of sheep dip OPs in the mouse nervous system, and dose effect profiles for OP sheep dips on brain electrical activity and sensitive behaviour indices in non-human primates. The first of these studies has been completed. The second study, which is a three-year project, is under way.