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Researchers Can Learn From Antimony and Cot Death Controversy

September 08, 1999

Professor Fell will be detailing his latest research, due to be published this month in The Analyst, in which he made a careful analysis of a number of toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium and antimony, in newborns and infants. He compared the levels of the metals in those that had died from cot death (or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS) to those that had died of known causes, and found no significant difference.

Until now, the very small amounts of these metals present in human tissue has meant that accurate levels have been difficult to determine. By using certified reference materials, and cross-checking with other methods and research groups, Professor Fell has been able to produce more definitive reference values for infants.

Professor Fell thinks that as techniques become more sensitive, so smaller amounts of toxic metals may be identified in body tissues. The temptation may then be for chemists to link their findings with specific diseases. But the sheer difficulty in obtaining accurate values at such low concentrations means that chemists should be wary of reporting their findings too early, especially to the media. "At these very low levels of concentration in tissues it is not very helpful to have to produce results for the deadline of a TV programme," he says.

Professor Fell thinks that chemists should be more aware of how their preliminary findings may stir up concern in the general public. Complex scientific issues may be difficult to interpret, but the public desire definitive answers. "They want: Yes. No. Is it safe? Is it dangerous?" he says. He advocates scrupulous checking of results before going public.



Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)