Day 297 - 08 Nov 96 - Page 05

     
     1        the meaning we have got.
     2
     3        Anyway, I did not mean to stop you in your tracks.  I
     4        wanted to think aloud in case it helps.  You carry on.
     5        I have got your point in mind, which is why I said one
     6        approach would be to say that a very real risk is one which
     7        the ordinary citizen would worry about.  If that is a right
     8        approach, it is quite right one would worry about a very
     9        small percentage risk of total disaster and would not worry
    10        about perhaps a much larger percentage risk of cutting your
    11        little finger.
    12
    13   MS. STEEL:   Yes, exactly.  In any event, we submit that the
    14        very real risk must actually be less than causal
    15        relationship.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.  Well, than actual causing.
    18
    19   MS. STEEL:   Yes.  This is on the point that you were just
    20        making, and I think this is quite a useful thing which came
         from Professor Wheelock, when he was being asked by
    22        Mr. Rampton about his scale of, you know, what the evidence
    23        was in a scale of 1 to 10 of a causal relationship between
    24        various dietary constituents and various degenerative
    25        diseases, you interrupted the questioning and you said you
    26        wanted an idea of, you know, what the numbers represented.
    27
    28        This was on day 14, page 16.  You asked Professor
    29        Wheelock:  "Somewhere along the line you come across a
    30        situation where a sensible person might have a real
    31        concern.  Do you see what I am trying to put to you?"  And
    32        Professor Wheelock said:  "Yes."  He said:  "I see exactly
    33        what you mean.  It is really a matter of at what stage do
    34        we get to the point where governments and health
    35        professionals can make recommendations to people on how
    36        they should change their diet."
    37
    38        And we say that that is really the key; are governments and
    39        health professionals making recommendations to people on
    40        how they should change their diet for lessening their risk
         or avoidance of these degenerative diseases.  The answer
    42        is, yes, they are, and therefore a sensible person would
    43        have a real concern, it is a very real risk.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    46
    47   MS. STEEL:   Just to continue, I mean, we say this is a very
    48        important point - I have kind of gone into this - but when
    49        dealing with health and diet the public are concerned about
    50        risks to an extent not matching other aspects of their
    51        lives.  In other words, the word 'risk' in the context of
    52        health conveys something special to most members of the
    53        public who, in reality, want to avoid any substantive
    54        chance of ill-health.  You know, it should not be taken as
    55        the same type of risk as being caught in a police speed
    56        trap or something like that.  You know, a much more
    57        cautious approach is needed and the leaflet should be
    58        considered in that context.
    59
    60        I don't know how much value the actual figures were that