§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds the Health and Safety Executive is proposing to tighten regulations governing the presence of white asbestos in buildings. [39286]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
193WResearch by Professor Peto and Health and Safety Executive epidemiologists, published in The Lancet on 4 March 1995 confirmed that building and maintenance workers are the largest group at risk of exposure to asbestos. At least a quarter of the 3,000 people now dying from asbestos related diseases have at some time worked in these trades. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations are therefore being tightened to ensure workers know where asbestos is in premises and can take appropriate precautions. A copy of the research paper is available in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the evidence that white asbestos is dangerous to human health. [39287]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
The evidence that white asbestos represents a risk to human health has been published. The evidence has been recently reviewed by a WHO task force and published in the International Programme on Chemical Safety's Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) Series. A recent review of the studies providing the basis for quantification that confirmed the risk from chrysotile is: "The Quantitative risks of mesothelioma and lung cancer in relation to asbestos exposure" by Hodgson and Darnton. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the cost to local authorities of the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations on asbestos. [39289]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
The Health and Safety Executive cannot precisely separate costs to local authorities. Total costs in Government offices, public buildings and state schools are estimated at £440 million over a 50-year period, including costs arising from the provisions implementing the Chemical Agents Directive. The average yearly cost over the first five years the proposals would be in force in these buildings is £47 million. A large proportion of this cost would fall to local authorities.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the likely cost to business of the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations on asbestos. [39291]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
Details of the costs of the proposals were given in the Consultation Document published by the Health and Safety Commission, and have since been revised. The total cost to businesses, charities and voluntary organisations of the proposals are currently estimated at £4.2 billion over a 50-year period. This includes a relatively small number of Government buildings open to the public, and also includes the estimated costs of complying with the provisions in the regulations arising from the Chemical Agents Directive. This cost is equivalent to £2.9 billion once costs are discounted to present values following Government costing conventions. The average yearly cost over the first six years the proposals would be in force is £460 million.
194W
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if white asbestos, or chrysotile, is chemically distinguishable from talcum powder. [39292]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply
White asbestos is chemically similar to talc, but it is the fibrous nature of asbestos, not its chemical composition, that makes it a risk to human health. Talc is not fibrous.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what threat to human health is posed by chrysotile, or white asbestos. [39293]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
White asbestos is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, on behalf of the World Health Organisation, as a category 1 carcinogen hazardous by inhalation. The most recent and comprehensive study carried out on the relative risks of asbestos "The Quantitative Risks of Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer in Relation to Asbestos Exposure" suggests there is a real risk of cancer from white asbestos (1 in 5,000) at levels of exposure realistically experienced by maintenance workers. The quantification of risk at these levels of exposure is however highly uncertain. The same paper implies the arguable range of risk runs from a quarter to seven times the central estimate.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to pay compensation to workers who can prove exposure to white asbestos. [39298]
§ Dr. Whitehead[holding answer 1 March 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has no plans to pay compensation to workers who can prove exposure to white asbestos.