Day 244 - 03 May 96 - Page 22


     
     1        I am happy with that.  Is there anything that the judge
     2        would you like to clarify?
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You must take your own course.  What I will
     5        do is I will make the comment so you are aware of what is
     6        troubling me, and then I will have the 5-minute break and
     7        you can carry on.
     8
     9   MR. MORRIS:  I think I know what it is.
    10
    11   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is the second sentence in the paragraph:
    12
    13        "As to their potential harm.  No specific links between
    14        the consumption of pesticide residues at the levels which
    15        would be found in McDonald's food and harm to public health
    16        have been proven".
    17
    18        Then on page 3:
    19
    20        "It is thus my view that any exposure to OP residues is
    21        undesirable in that discharge may be caused, the damage
    22        rather than the toxins being cumulative.  In that
    23        McDonald's food may well have detectable residues of OPs,
    24        consumption of such foods might be considered undesirable."
    25
    26        It may be that I have misunderstood Dr. North's evidence,
    27        I will read the transcript of it carefully again in due
    28        course, but there seemed to me to be an inconsistency
    29        there.  What I will do is I will rise for 5 minutes and if
    30        you want to ask him more about it, please do so, and then
    31        you can deal with the note on campylobacter.
    32
    33                         (Short adjournment)
    34
    35   MR. MORRIS:  Dr. North, you have talked about the inadequacies
    36        of the official monitoring system, and then you say in the
    37        first paragraph that the judge referred to, "harm to public
    38        health has not been proven".  Can you just explain what you
    39        meant there?
    40        A.  I think we are dealing with slightly clumsy phrasing.
    41        Nobody has gone out specifically to do a study on
    42        McDonald's produce to say that if you eat X number of
    43        burgers it will cause you damage.  On the other hand, there
    44        are numerous studies on the effects, long-term effects, of
    45        pesticide residues on mammalian systems.
    46
    47        Now, if you then link the two, if you say that detectable
    48        residues are likely to be found in McDonald's foods, and
    49        that you say long-term term exposure to those residues is
    50        likely to do harm, then it is reasonable to conclude that 
    51        long-term term exposure to McDonald's foods carries with it 
    52        a probability of harm. 
    53
    54   Q.   You have said in the second paragraph that the judge
    55        referred to which is on page 2?
    56        A.  Sorry, the second paragraph?
    57
    58   Q.   Yes, just wait ----
    59        A.  I beg your pardon.
    60

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