Database

Evidence from: AJ Donato et al. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol (2006) H272 – H278 “Differential effects of aging on limb blood flow in humans” Limb blood flow should be proportionate to the demands made by limb tissues. Failure to meet demand would lead to reduced performance (e.g. muscle power, endurance etc.) and several researchers have linked reduced blood flow with the early onset of fatigue and diffuse pain; a prelude to RSI. Muscle mass tends to decrease with age. In this research, the ability of the circulation to cope with muscles working at 60% maximum work rate was compared between 21 and 71 year old people. There were no significant differences in forearm blood flow with age, after correction for muscle mass. Comment If (insufficient) blood flow is related to the development of diffuse forearm pain we would not expect a generalised effect of ageing. There are many other factors which could affect blood flow, including Body Mass Index, general health, medication

Smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma in female offspring at the age of fourteen. There was no evidence that environmental exposure increased the risk of asthma at that age for either male or female offspring. Evidence from: R Alati et al. Epidemiology (2006) Vol.17#2 p 138 – 144 “In Utero and Postnatal Maternal Smoking and Asthma in Adolescence” The analyses show that maternal smoking during childhood does not affect asthma status at adolescence but that smoking heavily during pregnancy significantly increases the risk to females at age 14. The research also investigated the effect of passive smoking, and found no evidence of risk. Asthma in children is diagnosed at very high rates. The likelihood of maternal smoking during pregnancy is also high. Judgement as to causation theory would help tobacco risk managers to respond proportionately. Further detail: 6#1 21

Quantum Dots contain known toxins. They are protected by surface coatings but could deliver very high doses of toxin to individual cells if those coatings fail. Evidence from: R Hardman. Env. Health. Perspect. (2006) Vol.114#2 p 165 – 172 “A Toxicologic Review of Quantum Dots: Toxicity Depends on Physicochemical and Environmental Factors” Specific toxicity testing would be needed for each QD and combination of surface treatments. Accessibility provides the only risk assessment guide for underwriting these materials. Further detail: 6#1 20

Evidence from: The EFSA Journal. (2006) Vol.339 p 1 – 25 “…bovine bones used as an animal feed additive or as fertiliser” Bone meal constitutes approximately 1% of cattle feed by weight. Some bone meal is derived from cattle. What is the risk of BSE transmission? In the worst case considered in this report: In a beef cattle population of ~ 25 million this might be expected to give rise to on average 225 infected cattle per year. None of the scenarios produced an estimate lower than one case per year.

Extraction methods appear to reduce the potency of disease-causing prions. The risk from gelatin are many times lower than those from the contaminated foods that were consumed at the peak of the BSE epidemic. Evidence from: The EFSA Journal (2006) Vol.312 p 1 – 29 “Quantitative assessment of the human and animal BSE risk posed by gelatine with respect to residual BSE risk” The report concludes that restrictions on the use of brain and vertebrae in the production of gelatine are not justified. Further detail: 6#1 18

Claims that aspartame is carcinogenic may have been premature. Evidence from: The EFSA Journal (2006) 356, 1-44 “…a new long-term carcinogenicity study on aspartame” Dietary exposure to aspartame rarely exceed 10 mg/kg bw even in heavy users. Cancer is indivisible, aspartame use in processed foods is very common, strong evidence of carcinogenicity could cause problems to food manufacturers and their insurers. Further detail: 6#1 17