asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether saccharin is a low-potency carcinogen and thus a health hazard;(2) whether certain age brackets are more vulnerable to cancer through consumption of saccharin than others.

Recent research studies have suggested that high doses of saccharin, when fed to the rat, act as a weak carcinogen; but there is no evidence that saccharin is carcinogenic to man. The studies in test animals did not demonstrate any age-related vulnerability. Other studies in progress, including ones of saccharin usage by man, will be reviewed as and when their results become available.