Day 030 - 03 Oct 94 - Page 21

     
     1        that view and doubtless will remain so, just as there are
     2        some scientists who believe smoking does not cause cancer.
     3
     4   Q.   You then refer in that same part to the National Academy
     5        of Sciences in the US and the American Institute for
     6        Cancer Research, American Cancer Society, National Cancer
     7        Institute and the European Union - Backed Europe Against
     8        Cancer Initiative.  When these bodies make
     9        recommendations, on what basis do they make the
    10        recommendations?  Do they judge all the individual
    11        reports?  What process has to take place before bodies
    12        such as that and the World Health Organisation or
    13        whatever----?
    14        A.  Well, the answer to your question is that it ----
    15
    16   Q.  - to make recommendations?
    17        A. - varies.  It depends on the remit and the resources of
    18        the organisation concerned.  In the case of the National
    19        Academy of Sciences the produced, if I may show it, the
    20        green report in 1982, which has been referred to a lot in
         evidence as well, I think.
    22
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What is that?
    24
    25   MR. RAMPTON:  No, the green report has never been referred to
    26        in evidence as far as I know.  The Grey Book has.
    27
    28   THE WITNESS:  Forgive me.  The National Academy of Sciences
    29        report "Diet, Nutrition and Cancer", I think I have seen
    30        it referred to.
    31
    32   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Read out the full title and anything else to
    33        identify it, please, Mr. Cannon.
    34
    35   THE WITNESS:  The first expert report in modern times on diet
    36        nutrition and cancer had that title.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Read it out, please.
    39        A.  "Diet, Nutrition and Cancer".
    40
    Q.   Published ----?
    42        A.  And it was commissioned by the National Cancer
    43        Institute and the work was done by the National Academy of
    44        Sciences, which, in America, is roughly equivalent to the
    45        Royal Society in this country.  That is not a very good
    46        equivalence.  This is as best as one can do.
    47
    48        To explain, in this country recommendations from
    49        government on diet and public health are based on
    50        recommendations made by government appointed committees, 
    51        the so-called COMA Committee.  Professor Keen, for 
    52        example, who gave evidence for the Plaintiffs earlier, was 
    53        chairman of the COMA Committee on sugars and dietary
    54        health.  In the States the system is different.  The
    55        government relies on recommendations not made by its own
    56        body, but by the National Academy of Sciences.  That gives
    57        an indication of the status of the report.
    58
    59        So the National Academy of Sciences (or NAS) produced a
    60        report specifically on cancer in 1982 and a vast report on