Day 244 - 03 May 96 - Page 20
1 inconclusive. No specific links between the consumption of
2 pesticide residues at the level which would be found in
3 McDonald's foods and harm to public health have been
4 proven.
5
6 However, having studied in depth the conduct and
7 capabilities of pesticide surveillance agencies, I believe
8 it is fair to say that the absence of proof - should harm
9 have arisen - is not a function of the absence of any such
10 on the basis of a diligent search, but a reflection of
11 systems which are so inadequate that there is no capability
12 to detect harm even if it was present and large numbers of
13 people had been affected."
14 A. I think I need to elaborate on that. We have a
15 surveillance system in the UK which has no field
16 capability. The system relies on people being ill,
17 identifying their own illness, providing their own evidence
18 as to the cause of their illness, and then writing a report
19 to the surveillance authority which then draws its
20 conclusions on the basis of that form submitted to it.
21
22 There are no officials who actually go out into the field
23 and investigate and there is no system for investigating
24 potential pesticide related illness.
25
26 Therefore, we have a situation in the UK where it is quite
27 possible, and in fact has been alleged with some support by
28 an increasingly large number of people that we do have
29 serious harm arising from pesticide exposure from various
30 sources which is entirely unnoticed and unrecognised by the
31 official system whose task it is so to do.
32
33 Q. Do you fall into that category of people?
34 A. Yes, very much so and this is based on practical
35 personal experience.
36
37 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Wait a minute, let me see what you are you
38 saying. Are you saying it is your view that we do have
39 serious harm from pesticide exposure?
40 A. Very much so, yes, my Lord. I have interviewed several
41 ----
42
43 Q. I find that entirely inconsistent with the top of page 3 of
44 your report.
45 A. Of which report, this report?
46
47 Q. Where you deal with possibilities. You are saying now that
48 probably we do have that harm, are you?
49 A. Yes. My Lord, the context is quite interesting and it
50 is a reflection of the system. When you look at public
51 health workers, I had a long interview with the Head of the
52 National Poisons Unit at Guys Hospital in the early stages,
53 and she referred to a professional tendency which is very
54 much I recognised in myself, is that you tend to have the
55 bug men and the chemical men, and neither talk to each
56 other and each tend to be dismissive of each other.
57
58 My background is, if you like, the bug men, the bacteria
59 microorganism related food poisoning, and for a long time I
60 have tended to be dismissive, entirely so, without any
