Day 038 - 19 Oct 94 - Page 27


     
     1        that they have had epileptic fits or epileptic type
     2        fits, seizures, triggered by the consumption of food
     3        additives.  In that case artificial sweeteners and not
     4        compounds are in dispute here.  But in those cases, well,
     5        in one case a woman fell over by a bus stop and cracked her
     6        skull on the pavement and I count that as -----
     7
     8   Q.   So indirectly you would say -----
     9        A. -- as a life-threatening acute reaction, but amongst the
    10        acute reactions the life-threatening ones are the most
    11        rare.
    12
    13   MS. STEEL:   Right.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  There may be more to that than appears.  You
    16        say among the acute reactions, that is the ones which arise
    17        pretty quickly after ingestion ----?
    18        A.  Yes, within a few minutes or hours.
    19
    20   Q.  -- of whatever it may be.  Was your question meant to limit
    21        it to acute reactions as opposed to chronic ones, that is,
    22        ones which may last and build up over a period of time?
    23
    24   MS. STEEL:   I cannot remember what I asked now.
    25        A.  I think it was a question about acute reaction.
    26
    27   MR. MORRIS:  Do you want to give an answer relevant to chronic
    28        reactions?
    29        A.  Yes, I would be prepared to do that.
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The question was related to whether
    32        intolerances are never life-threatening.  So, I did not
    33        understand it to be limited to an intolerance which is
    34        acute as opposed to chronic?
    35        A.  Right.  I thought I was answering the question which
    36        I was being invited to comment on, a remark made by
    37        Professor Walker.  My recollection, on reading his
    38        evidence, was that he made that remark in the context of
    39        referring to acute reactions.  That is why I answered in
    40        that way.  But I am prepared to respond to the question
    41        asked of me in respect of long-term chronic reaction.
    42        Indeed, I would say that some of the evidence that leads me
    43        to doubt the safety, the long-term safety, of some of the
    44        additives we shall be discussing indicates that the effects
    45        which they might cause in the long run might, indeed, in
    46        some cases be life-threatening.  That is why their safety
    47        is in doubt.
    48
    49   Q.   Can you give me an example?
    50        A.  Butylated hydroxy anisole, BHA, or E320, is one of the 
    51        compounds which has been shown to cause cancer in at least 
    52        two species of laboratory animals.  If it were to cause 
    53        cancer in humans, that is life-threatening.
    54
    55   Q.   No.  The line I was on and I thought -- I may be wrong --
    56        that Ms. Steel was on was intolerances in men and women.
    57
    58   MS. STEEL:   I think it is because Mr. Morris asked a separate
    59        question about chronic reactions.
    60

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