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Dept of Health

Answer

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health studies have been carried out in the United Kingdom population on the impact of radiation, following the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. [84257] Ms Blears: Two large European studies were commissioned in the early 1990s to study the possible health effects of Chernobyl fallout in the European childhood population. The United Kingdom population is included in these studies. The studies are known as the European Childhood Leukaemia- Lymphoma Incidence study (ECUS) and the European Childhood Abnormality Study (EUROCAS). The results produced so far show no health detriment linked to Chernobyl fallout. Results are consistent with current estimates of risk from radiation exposure. However, further work continues and more detailed results are expected in the future. The thyroid cancer research group, which made a valued contribution to the investigation of the increased incidence of thyroid cancer in children in Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation following the Chernobyl accident, is planning a comparative study of childhood thyroid cancer between Britain, Poland and Belarus. Other much smaller studies have been drawn to our attention but the very small number of cases involved makes these studies very difficult to evaluate.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

84257; 395 c896-7W;395 c894-5W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Accidents Health hazards Radiation exposure Research Nuclear reactors Radioactive fallout Chernobyl

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk