Day 040 - 21 Oct 94 - Page 31

     
     1        reason now, Dr. Millstone.
     2        A.  Because I believe that for reasons that I think
     3        I outlined either yesterday or the day before, conceivably
     4        both, I believe there are very serious shortcomings in
     5        those studies which report estimates of the frequency of
     6        adverse reactions to food additives.
     7
     8        I would estimate that and I have seen some evidence
     9        particularly from a Dr. Ward at the University of Surrey,
    10        suggesting that something in the order of 80 per cent of
    11        people who show intolerance to additives, also show
    12        intolerance to some foods.
    13
    14        Therefore, if one is to properly estimate the true
    15        incidence of adverse reactions, acute adverse reactions, to
    16        additives, it is necessary to put them on an elimination
    17        diet which excludes not merely -- prior to their challenge
    18         -- the additives to which they may react adversely, but
    19        also foods to which they may react adversely.  My reading
    20        of particularly the Young and Lessof study (upon which the
         Department of Health and the Ministry of Ag. Fish and Food
    22        place considerable reliance) is that they fail to take that
    23        elementary, methodological precaution.
    24
    25        Therefore, I believe that the signal was lost in the noise
    26        and that they, therefore, significantly underestimate the
    27        true incidence.  I have also indicated in answer to
    28        previous questions that other studies which have attempted
    29        to estimate the incidence of intolerance to additives have
    30        been flawed for a variety of reasons, including
    31        systematically excluding from their sample precisely the
    32        kinds of people most likely to suffer intolerance, such as
    33        young children or people who have been diagnosed as
    34        suffering from allergies.
    35
    36        I was given to understand by his Lordship that I would be
    37        invited, or given an opportunity, to prepare another
    38        document on the question of the incidence -- estimates of
    39        the incidence of these reactions, and I would be able and
    40        willing to do so and can there spell out my reasons in some
         detail, itemising the particular studies involved.
    42
    43   MR. RAMPTON:  If you are going to do that, Dr. Millstone, turn
    44        over the page, please, to the section headed:  "Tracking
    45        down the problem".  Do you have that?
    46        A.  Yes.
    47
    48   Q.   That section has three columns, the first column has two
    49        black blobs.  Under the second blob it says:  "You may be
    50        asked to avoid a single suspect food for a few weeks.  In 
    51        theory, any food can cause allergy, but several studies 
    52        show that by far the most common culprits are milk, eggs, 
    53        fish, shellfish, nuts and wheat".
    54
    55        Can you, please, if you are going to inform us of your
    56        views about incidence, comparative incidence, lay hands on
    57        as many such studies as you are able?  That is a request,
    58        not a question.
    59        A.  Yes, I can do that, but I would say that the only
    60        studies that I have made a point of gathering are studies