DAVID KIDNEY, MP for Stafford, recently introduced a 10-minute rule bill
concerning deep vein thrombosis (DVT)鈥攕pecifically, on the need for
airlines to alert passengers to how this and other medical troubles can affect
them during a long, cramped journey. This parliamentary procedure is an
effective kite-flying exercise, serving as a marker to alert MPs to issues their
colleagues face in their constituencies.
Kidney said he became interested in DVT when a constituent wrote to him
explaining that he had nearly died from its effects after a flight from Goa to
Manchester. He had fallen ill and was rushed to hospital, where tests revealed
numerous blood clots on his lungs. Hospitalised for two-and-a-half weeks, he was
forced to rely on treatment with an anticoagulant for the next six months.
Kidney was determined to find out what advice the airlines should be giving
on such matters to their passengers. That question became all the more pressing
in view of a major legal action against some airlines in the High Court in
London. The Civil Aviation Authority has produced information approved by the
relevant government departments, explaining what DVT is and emphasising that
some passengers are likely to be at greater risk than others. This is certainly
so for smokers, people with a history of thrombosis or those who are pregnant,
obese or are taking oral contraceptive pills.
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I find it inexplicable that some long-haul airlines are not routinely
forewarning their passengers of the dangers of DVT and at least providing them
with a list of ways to reduce the risks they face. Such measures should be
compulsory for all airlines flying into and out of Britain鈥檚 airports.
SPOT-CHECKING to see whether athletes have taken performance-enhancing
substances could be a thing of the past when the 2004 Olympic Games come around.
快猫短视频 recently reported that Randox Laboratories in Crumlin,
Northern Ireland, has developed a biochip system that will test all competing
athletes for a wide range of illegal substances
(25 August, p 17).
I showed the article to Richard Caborn, the sports minister, and he agreed
that such a system has many attractions. He was particularly taken with the idea
that the lab-on-a-chip detection system could test thousands of samples in hours
rather than the days, or even longer, that present systems need. The government,
he said, is firmly committed to combating doping in sports and spends more than
拢1 million a year on its anti-doping programme.
Caborn said, however, that while the new system is innovative, there would
need to be good evidence of its benefits to coaches and athletes alike. And
certainly, there would have to be extensive trials before the government could
give its support. He added that he has passed copies of the article to the
authorities at UK Sport and UK Athletics. I gather that they are now taking the
proposed system very seriously. Certainly, it would serve as a deterrent to
cheats and create a level playing field for all athletes.
BY NOW, one would have thought that the Japanese proposal for carbon credits
to curb global warming would be up and running. The idea is that rich countries
should earn credits through Kyoto鈥檚 Clean Development Mechanism by planting
forests in developing countries to act as carbon sinks.
Michael Meacher, the environment minister, tells me that the European Union
was against including any planting projects in the CDM until concerns about
scale, risk and scientific uncertainty were met. However, I hear that events
following 11 September have, ironically perhaps, given the Japanese proposal a
boost.