§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the results of the research conducted by Cherry N. et al at the University of Manchester showing a genetic susceptibility to health damage resulting from exposure to organophosphates in some individuals, they propose to offer any advice, diagnostic tests, biological monitoring or other practical assistance to users of these chemicals. [HL3343]
§ Lord WhittyThe Government are gauging the significance of these findings in consultation with their independent expert advisory committees, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and the Veterinary Products Committee.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
For what period the organophosphate cruformate was licensed for use as a warble fly dressing in the United Kingdom; and what are the known mutagenic, teratrogenic and neurological effects of its use on cattle. [HL3345]
§ Lord WhittyCrufomate was used as an active ingredient in veterinary medicinal products for the treatment of warble fly from the 1950s onwards. This predates the introduction of the current controls under the Medicines Act 1968 and so our information on such products is very limited. With the entry into force of the Medicines Act in 1970 these products would have been issued with licences of right that permitted their continued marketing pending a formal review of their safety, quality and efficacy.
21WAEvidence from the marketing authorisation holders indicates that these products were removed from the market prior to 1978. They would not therefore have been included within the formal review of all pharmaceutical products that began in the mid-1980s.
Consequently no data on possible mutagenic, teratogenic or neurological effects of the use of crufomate on cattle were collected as part of their authorisation for marketing as veterinary medicinal products.