Day 039 - 20 Oct 94 - Page 21
1
2 Q. One further question on Amaranth: The skin rash that is
3 noted for Sunset Yellow, is that the same also for
4 Amaranth?
5 A. Yes, I believe it is. May I just have a brief look?
6 No, it is not in that study. But, yes, very similar
7 symptoms are reported.
8
9 Q. Right.
10 A. The kinds of symptoms reported are more or less uniform
11 across the entire group of azo-dyes of which Amaranth,
12 Tartrazine and Sunset Yellow are examples.
13
14 Q. I think Professor Walker accepted that in any event.
15 Sodium Nitrite E250 -----
16
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: This was pleaded as Sodium Nitrate, but it
18 was decided that it was Sodium Nitrite that was being
19 attacked and Potassium Nitrate. In fact, that is what you
20 have in your statement, is it not? The point being anyway
21 that it is the eventual nitrite which, if anything, does
22 the harm.
23 A. Indeed. Nitrates are used in food in combination with
24 nitrites to provide a buffer stock, because they decompose
25 into nitrites. It is the nitrites which are effective
26 against botulism and also as preserving the colouring,
27 providing colouring in food.
28
29 MR. MORRIS: Right. Now we have a substantial body of pages
30 here, four pages, on the two, Sodium Nitrite and Potassium
31 Nitrate. Do you want to deal with them separately?
32 A. No, together, because insofar as Potassium Nitrite --
33 forgive me; insofar as Potassium Nitrate may constitute a
34 hazard, it does so when it is reduced to the nitrite; it is
35 the nitrite radical which appears to be potentially
36 toxicologically significant.
37
38 Q. What are the intolerance implications first for the
39 nitrites, if you like? In our pleadings we had: "Nitrate
40 can cause gastroenteritis, vomiting, vertigo, muscular
41 weakness and irregular pulse". For Sodium Nitrite: "...
42 can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, deoxygenation of the
43 blood, low blood pressure, collapsed circulatory system".
44 A. I am not sure where to locate the deoxygenation of the
45 blood under the various categorisations we are offered.
46 I suspect Professor Walker would put it under his second
47 category, namely, reactions occurring only at very high
48 doses. It certainly only occurs in humans -- sorry, in
49 adults at very high doses, though there is clear evidence
50 that children, particularly young infants, are particularly
51 susceptible to this. But the kinds of levels at which
52 nitrites and nitrates are used as food additives are
53 unlikely to contribute to that problem except in respect of
54 infants who should not receive these materials at all.
55
56 Q. What age do you categorise infants?
57 A. Well, the categorisation used by some official bodies
58 is three months or under. There they are drawing on direct
59 clinical evidence. Now, my approach to these matters
60 typically is to allow some margin of safety, and so I would
