Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 71


     
     1
     2   THE WITNESS:  Thank you.
     3
     4   MR. RAMPTON:  It says:  "Getting prevention in proportion.  We
     5        do not know how to prevent some cancers largely because we
     6        do not know what causes them.  Some causes such as smoking
     7        are known; others such as diet are suspected but not
     8        proved.  So what proportion of cancer deaths do we
     9        suspect", in italics, "are caused by things mentioned in
    10        the book", in this book, "and what proportion do we know
    11        are preventable".
    12
    13        Then you see in the right-hand side in the graphic and you
    14        see the graph is based on information derived from Doll
    15        and Peto, The Causes of Cancer:  "Percentage of cancer
    16        deaths"; black is definitely preventable in your copy,
    17        Dr. Barnard; grey is possibly preventable cancer
    18        deaths. "This gives an idea of what experts believe may
    19        prove to be preventable causes of cancer in the future".
    20
    21        We have two per cent, if I am right, roughly two per cent
    22        in black and the rest for food up to 35 per cent is grey.
    23        Now, contrast that, if you will, with your statement on
    24        that television programme that between 35 and 50 per cent
    25        of cancers are due to diet.  What response do you make to
    26        this document?
    27        A.  In this document they are implying that there is a
    28        link which may be causal, which would have to be, if
    29        things are theoretically preventable, one has to talk
    30        about cause-and-effect or otherwise there is no
    31        possibility for prevention, but that has only been
    32        definitely proven for a small number -- I do not know.
    33
    34   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  The explanation of that, so that you
    35        understand by a previous witness, is that there is
    36        something like the Japanese who eat a certain kind of fish
    37        and there is a high incidence of cancer of the
    38        oesophagus.  So it is very particular special cases like
    39        that of about two per cent.
    40
    41   MR. MORRIS:  That was one interpretation.  That was not my
    42        interpretation.  Firstly, I did not know whether this
    43        represented a chart for UK; secondly, I do not think the
    44        Japanese who eat that particular thing can be responsible
    45        for three per cent of all cancer deaths in the world.
    46
    47   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That was an example of it -- you may
    48        disagree with it -- I am trying to fill you in on some
    49        evidence we have heard, so far.
    50 
    51   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes.  There were two examples given, one is in 
    52        the text of this document which is Japanese people eating 
    53        bracken shoots as a known carcinogen, and the other was
    54        aflatoxins found in certain kinds of fungus on bread.  You
    55        recognise both those cases, I expect, do you?
    56        A.  Yes.  However, I do not know if you are getting an
    57        opportunity to speak with Colin Campbell or hear evidence
    58        from him but, as you will hear from him, aflatoxin
    59        toxicity is thought to be very strongly affected by the
    60        content to which animal products are included in the diet

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