Day 039 - 20 Oct 94 - Page 26
1 Q. You have seen some of that documentation?
2 A. I have seen some of them, but I have never seen those
3 reports written up and published in the peer reviewed
4 scientific literature.
5
6 Q. But you have seen those reports. Did those reports mention
7 Sodium Nitrite and Potassium Nitrate?
8 A. Yes, they do.
9
10 Q. Was that regarding hyperactivity specifically or was that
11 also other intolerance symptoms?
12 A. Well, the Hyperactive Children Support Group has enough
13 difficulty coping merely with people, with all the people
14 who report hyperactivity to them. If people report other
15 symptoms but not hyperactivity, the Hyperactive Children
16 Support Group invite them to go elsewhere. But it is very
17 rare for people to report hyperactivity without also
18 reporting some other collateral symptoms, such as skin
19 rashes or headaches.
20
21 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I understand your point about the quality of
22 some of the anecdotal evidence when it is an additive which
23 does not appear in food naturally at all. But how do they
24 isolate added nitrites in these anecdotal cases? How do
25 they know, as it were, or think they know that it is not
26 something which is naturally there?
27 A. Yes. I do not think it is easy for them to be precise
28 in this context. I think often people will exclude from
29 the diet of their children products which have quite a few
30 additives in and will typically then list all of those
31 additives in the products when the products seem to trigger
32 the effect and ascribe the effect to whatever is in the
33 product.
34
35 The same goes, say, for water where people have claimed and
36 reported quite a few cases that filtering the water
37 improves the behaviour and health of their children.
38 Typically, one would expect that the filters would remove a
39 range of compounds and not just one compound. I think you
40 are right to observe ----.
41
42 Q. It is much more difficult, is it not, to carry out your own
43 check?
44 A. For something like nitrate.
45
46 Q. When the target substance is something which appears widely
47 and naturally in every day food?
48 A. That is, indeed, of course, correct.
49
50 MR. MORRIS: The Hyperactive Children Support Group recommend
51 the avoidance of Sodium Nitrite; is that correct?
52 A. To the best of my knowledge, yes, it is.
53
54 Q. But they do not do that for Potassium Nitrate?
55 A. I was not aware of that. I would be very surprised if
56 that was the case. I do not have their documents on me.
57 I cannot instantly recall what is and is not on their
58 list. I would be very surprised if they did not put
59 nitrate next to nitrite. If it turns out they have not
60 included it, I will draw that to their attention.
