Day 039 - 20 Oct 94 - Page 13
1 Then, of course, over and above that, we have all too many
2 cases where children and their families identify those
3 compounds which cause them problems, they seek to avoid
4 them, then they might inadvertently consume something.
5 That often happens when they visit other people's homes or
6 visit a catering establishment, and also when they receive
7 free samples, which are often not subject to labelling
8 regulations because they are not offered for sale, might
9 inadvertently consume something containing a compound which
10 triggers an adverse reaction. That provides something
11 very, very close to a blind-challenge, in the double-blind
12 challenge.
13
14 Q. Professor Walker characterised, when he accepted there was
15 anecdotal evidence for hyperactivity allegations in most
16 cases, he said it was anecdotal and, therefore, not
17 satisfactory or not -- it was, in his categories, category
18 3. What I want you to do, as you go through them, if you
19 agree there is evidence, anecdotal evidence, for example,
20 Sunset Yellow, say whether you consider that is strong
21 evidence of an association or that the evidence in that
22 particular compound is particularly weak?
23 A. Well, as I have tried to indicate in my previous
24 answer, some anecdotal evidence is quite strong and some
25 anecdotal evidence is relatively weak, but I think the
26 attitude of Professor Walker -----
27
28 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not sure it was actually an accurate
29 summary of his attitude. I do not think he ever said in
30 terms "anecdotal evidence is not satisfactory." He might
31 have got to a topic and said "there is or may be anecdotal
32 evidence of that, but I have not seen any satisfactory
33 evidence of it", which is not necessarily to say that all
34 anecdotal evidence is unsatisfactory. Do you see the
35 difference?
36 A. I do, indeed, and it is for Professor Walker to decide
37 for himself how he wishes to characterise it.
38
39 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, may I interrupt, please? I am only
40 confirming what your Lordship says. Your Lordship gave
41 category (3) to Professor Walker as no satisfactory
42 evidence. I am on page 24 of that day's transcript. When
43 it came to Sunset Yellow, I asked a question:
44
45 "Hyperactivity: Do you know of any credible or satisfactory
46 evidence that Sunset Yellow causes hyperactivity in
47 children?
48 A. No, the only evidence that I am aware of is anecdotal.
49 It has not been conducted in a properly controlled
50 double-blind way."
51
52 When I came to Amaranth, I said:
53
54 "Do you have any additional comment to make about the
55 hyperactivity allegation in relation to Amaranth or is it
56 the same as Sunset Yellow?
57 A. It is the same as Sunset Yellow."
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It may be a matter of interpretation what he
60 was saying.
