§ Mr. TredinnickTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the terms of reference of the research being undertaken by the national poisons unit into the toxicity of dietary supplements, sponsored by her Department; what information she has concerning the number of cases of(a) minor and (b) serious medical problems as a result of the consumption of such dietary supplements; what comparative assessment has been made with information of which she is aware, relating to poisoning as a result of organophosphorus or organochlorine pesticide ingestion or absorption over a comparable period of time; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SoamesThe project currently being carried out at the national poisons unit is commissioned to follow up both clinically and analytically any case reports notified to the unit in which dietary supplements or traditional remedies are implicated. The project is still under way, but interim results show a link between exposure to dietary supplements or traditional remedies and clinical effects in 49 cases out of 5,563 investigated. The interim nature of these results makes comparison with any similar data on pesticides unreliable. The Ministry will use the final results of this project to aid in the formulation of policy on dietary supplements and traditional remedies.
736W