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Asbestos

Volume 28: debated on Friday 30 July 1982

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asked the Secretary of State for Employment what research is currently being undertaken by the Health and Safety Commission into the effects of asbestos; what is the cost and programme of this research; and if he will make a statement.

The Health and Safety Executive is continuing its major long-term survey of the health of asbestos workers covered by the Asbestos Regulations 1969 begun in 1970 and extended in 1975. It has established a central register of over 35,000 asbestos workers currently or formerly employed in some 800 establishments. The executive also maintains the asbestosis and mesothelioma registers established in 1964 and 1968. These are ongoing and developing surveys. The cost of the survey and registers in this financial year to HSE is expected to be about £180,000.A study of chest radiographs commissioned by HSE and carried out by the Institute of Occupational Medicine at Edinburgh university has recently been completed at a cost of £60,000.In addition, the HSE is carrying out an extensive programme of research into other aspects of the control and monitoring of asbestos in the workplace.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions were made for breach of regulations governing the use of asbestos in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 to the most recent practicable date.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on Tuesday 27 July.—[Vol. 28, c. 454.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the asbestos regulations are adequate in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of persons working with the material and living in the adjacent area; and if he will make a statement.

The Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on asbestos was established at the request of Ministers in 1976 to review the risks arising from asbestos to persons exposed at work and to members of the public. It produced three reports and made far-reaching recommendations for new controls which the Government intend to implement alongside the two directives on asbestos currently under discussion in Europe.However, the Health and Safety Commission—HSC—has decided that certain actions should be taken without waiting for agreement on asbestos in Brussels. First, the HSC intends to put to me as soon as possible regulations establishing a system of licensing for work with asbestos insulation and coating. Secondly, it plans to proceed with regulations which would prohibit the spraying of asbestos coating, the use of asbestos materials in insulation and the marketing and use of crocidolite.It still seems sensible to link the implementation of the ACA's recommendations with that of the proposed worker protection directive, but, of course, if the adoption of the directive is likely to be unacceptably delayed we will need to look again as to whether we should press ahead of Europe. In the meantime, work is already under way in HSE on the preparation of a consultative document designed to implement the ACA's recommendations together with likely provisions of that directive.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the recommendations of the Committee on Asbestos final report which have been carried out.

Priority has been given to the implementation of the recommendations in the committee's first report because the advisory committee took the view that insulation work was the most dangerous.The recommendations contained in the final report of the advisory committee for improved legal controls on asbestos in the workplace and in the general environment have not yet been implemented by legislative means. This is because of the Government's desire to co-ordinate United Kingdom legislation with the proposed Community directives on asbestos.As far as the recommendations in the final report are concerned, some of the most important are those relating to control limits. The recommendations on crocidolite are being enforced, and I understand that exposure to chrysotile in almost all factories is now below and in some cases substantially below the 1 fibre/ml recommended for chrysotile. Other recommendations have been implemented by HSE as part of its day-to-day inspection. I shall write to the hon. Member with details of these.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what work has been carried out since 1979 on the standardisation of sampling techniques for asbestos dust concentrations discharged into the atmosphere; and what checks have been carried out on the efficiency of exhaust systems.

Following publication of the second report of the advisory committee on asbestos, the Health and Safety Executive started work in 1980 to evaluate existing methods, and to develop a new method for the sampling and evaluation of asbestos dust discharged into the atmosphere. I understand that it is not yet satisfied that a suitable and practicable method is available for routine use.Responsibility for enforcement of the control of emissions from asbestos factories lies with the local authorities. I have no information on any action they have taken to check the efficiency of exhaust systems, but I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to write to the hon. Member on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what work on the evaluation of exposure to asbestos in the non-occupational environment has been carried out since 1979.

As recommended by the advisory committee on asbestos, a programme of work to evaluate asbestos exposure in the non-occupational environment was started in November 1978.A survey has been undertaken of public and private buildings offering a range of locations, types, applications and conditions of asbestos. New analytical techniques based on electron microscopy have been developed. The limit of detection of transmission electron microscopy is 1 ng/m

3 —one thousand millionth of a gram per cubic metre. The airborne concentrations of asbestos were below the limit of detection of the transmission electron microscope technique in every case.

A further survey of airborne concentrations of asbestos in rural and urban areas, at a busy urban road junction, on asbestos waste tips and around the environs of asbestos manufacturing and processing factories is well advanced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the full results of the survey carried out to determine the full shape and size distribution of airborne fibres from an appropriate selection of products and processes relating to asbestos.

The survey started in 1980. Progress has been made on collecting data on a representative selection of products and processes. When this has been completed a report will be published.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in what ways since 1979 operational monitoring programmes have been reviewed to obtain maximum information to supplement data obtained from other epidemiological studies such as the Employment Medical Advisory Service survey of asbestos workers.

The only change in the long established Factory Inspectorate asbestos monitoring programme since 1979 has been a new programme of visits under which the Inspectorate's field consultant group occupational hygiene specialists intend to survey all the smaller factories using asbestos.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in what ways the Laboratory of the Government Chemist has developed the semi-automatic methods for the evaluation of membrane filter samples and other automatic methods since 1979; and at what cost.

The Health and Safety Executive has taken up the early work of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist on the development of automatic methods for the evaluation of these samples.Very good progress has been made with one automatic counting device, known as Magiscan, which already appears capable of substituting for the standard manual technique in many situations. The development of this device is being undertaken by HSE and Manchester university, at a cost so far to HSE of around £250,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the results of inter-comparisons of counting procedures both within and between laboratories with the objective of minimising systematic and random errors during the evaluation of asbestos membrane filter samples.

A study of intercomparisons between and within laboratories has been undertaken by the Institute of Occupational. Medicine, sponsored by the Health and Safety Executive and the three main asbestos manufacturing companies. The study, known as the central reference scheme, has led to the development with the co-operation of the major manufacturers of new counting rules designed to achieve more consistent results. International trials have recently confirmed that the central reference scheme method does indeed minimise systematic and random errors. In negotiations on the proposed EC directive on the protection of workers from exposure to asbestos the Government are aiming to ensure that these advances are taken into account in the provisions relating to monitoring of asbestos in air.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what research has been carried out since 1979 into improved methods over the membrane filter method of sampling for asbestos dust.

The Health and Safety Executive has kept in touch with, and in some cases funded, the development of new methods of air sampling techniques as potential alternatives to the membrane filter method. Where appropriate, it has conducted and co-operated in factory trials. However, no other method has been found which has reached a stage of practical application and can be considered a satisfactory alternative to the standard method.