Day 040 - 21 Oct 94 - Page 30

     
     1        allergies, which are one form at least of acute effects,
     2        are they not?
     3        A.  They are indeed.
     4
     5   Q.   Yes.  My Lord, this document is a government document.  It
     6        has been sent to the Defendants, I think, last week.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Where shall I put it?
     9
    10   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, I would put it behind Professor Walker.
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  In his references?
    13
    14   MR. RAMPTON:  Either in his references or in his statement; it
    15        does not matter.  (Handed)
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am making it "N" in Professor Walker.
    18
    19   MR. RAMPTON:  I expect you recognise this, Dr. Millstone, do you
    20        not?
         A.  I do recognise it though it is not something I have
    22        scrutinised carefully.
    23
    24   Q.   Can we just have a quick look at it?  It is called:  "Food
    25        allergy and other unpleasant reactions to food".  It is
    26        published in 1994.  The same heading appears on the first
    27        inside page.  It reads:  "No-one knows why a natural food
    28        that is enjoyable and healthy for most of us can make some
    29        people ill enough to need to see their doctor.  People
    30        react badly to food for a variety of reasons, and with many
    31        different symptoms.  Unpleasant reactions to food are a
    32        complicated puzzle which scientists are still unravelling.
    33        It is very rare for allergies and other forms of food
    34        intolerance to be dangerous, but they can be worrying as
    35        well as troublesome".
    36
    37        So far, do you agree with the government's statement?
    38        A.  Yes, I have no reason to question it.
    39
    40   Q.    "Surveys show that as many as two in 10 people in the UK
         believe they react badly to certain foods.  But a detailed
    42        Government study suggests that only about two in every 100
    43        people do have unpleasant reactions to food that can be
    44        measured".  Pausing there, what is this government study,
    45        do you know, they are referring to?
    46        A.  I am not entirely clear which one they might be
    47        referring to, no.
    48
    49   Q.   It goes on:  "Many blame food additives more than food, but
    50        reactions to food additives are probably at least 100 times 
    51        less common than reactions to foods such as milk and 
    52        wheat".  Do you agree with that? 
    53        A.  No, I do not.
    54
    55   Q.   Why not?
    56        A.  For reasons which I believe I spelt out in the document
    57        that I provided to Ms. Steel and Mr. Morris in response to
    58        my first reading of Professor Walker's statement.
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We have not seen that; just give us the