Fennell Report

The Fennel Report into the King s Cross fire was published in 1988, some 12-18 months before data collection. Interview responses suggest that BR officials were sensitized to the issue raised by the Report. 

The two enantiomers of fenchone occur in a number of essential oils. Optically pure (15) (-f)-fenchone has been detected in bitter fennel oil Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare) and in sweet fennel oil F. vulgare var. dulce) from various sources.It has also been reported to exist in... 

A recent survey about essential oils and their pure constituents used to control Varroa jacobsoni, contained three interesting tables that reported the toxicity of essential oils for V. jacobsoni and Apis mellifera after 24, 48 and 72 hours in a topical application and in an evaporation test, and the effects of essential oils on behavior and reproduction of V jacobsoni and on the bee brood [63]. The most interesting oils were those of cinnamon and clove, with 100% mite mortality after 24 h and no significant toxicity on honey bees. Furthermore, clove essential oil produced small brood mortality, and it was an inhibitor of mite reproduction. Other effective oils were anise, fennel, lavender, rosemary and wintergreen, which killed 100% mites after 48-72 hours. On the contrary, the oils obtained from garlic, onion, oregano and thyme, were found to be very toxic for honey bees. Among pure constituents, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate and pinene resulted small brood mortality and inhibited mite reproduction. 

The metabolism of 7-endo-fenchol to ci-fenchone in fennel has been studied in quite some detail by Croteau and co-workers (Croteau and Felton, 1980). Croteau et al. (1980a) later reported a soluble enzyme preparation from the leaves of fennel which catalysed the cation-dependent cyclization of both geranyl pyrophosphate and neryl pyrophosphate to the bicyclic rearranged monoterpene 1-enc/o-fenchol. Croteau et al. (1980b) found that (+)-(lS)-fenchone, an irregular bicyclic monoterpene ketone thought to be derived... 

Gershbein (1977) reported increases in the liver increment (the amount of tissue regenerated) in partially hepatectomized rats, by subcutaneous (sc) injection of oils of anise, fennel, tarragon, parsley seed, celery seed and... 

Patel and Srinivasan (2001) reported a significant shortening of the food transit time when some prominent dietary spices including fennel were added to the diet. 

Sekizawa and Shibamoto (1982) reported the mutagenicity of anethole present in fennel from their studies. Stich et al. (1981) examined the clastogenic activities (substances or processes which cause breaks in chromosomes) of quercetin from fennel seeds and the ubiquitous transition metal Mn2+ - individually and in various combinations. The clastogenic effects of the simultaneous application of arecoline from betel nut, plus quercetin, were greater than the action of quercetin alone. 

In summary, Foeniculum is stated to have three species, F. vulgare (fennel), F. azoricum Mill. (Florence fennel) and F. dulce (sweet fennel). Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native habitat and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. The flavour is similar to, but milder than, that of anise and star anise. Anethole and fenchone are the major constituents of the solvent extract of seed phenols, free fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals have been reported in varying proportions. In the mature fruit, up to 95% of the essential oil is located in the fruit, greater amounts being found in the fully ripe fruit. Approximately 45 constituents have been determined from fennel seed oil, the main constituents being frans-anethole, fenchone, estragol (methyl chavicol), limonene, camphene, a-pinene and other monoterpenes, fenchyl alcohol and... 

Wade et al. (1986) reported that BHA and BHT were effective in retarding oxidation of anhydrous milk fat but DL-a-tocopherol acted as a pro-oxidant. Natural antioxidants in betel and curry leaves have also been reported to retard oxidation of anhydrous milk fat (Sharma, 1981 Parmer and Sharma, 1986). Amr (1991) reported that turmeric and wheat grits were as effective as BHA and BHT in controlling oxidative rancidity in sheep s anhydrous milk fat for up to 4 months. However, rosemary, sage, rue and fennel exerted pro-oxidant effects. Quercetin and rutin are reported to be efficient antioxidants in butter (Eriksson, 1987). 

Between each fibro-vascular bundle and the tip of each rib will be found a zone of collenchyma cells. In the mesocarp between each two ribs on the dorsal side occurs a single vitta or oil tube which is lined with a layer of brownish polygonal cells. These vittae contain the official oil of fennel. Two vittae generally occur in the meso-carp of the commissural side although four are reported to have been found in this region of some fennel fruits. 

A case series of premature thelarche (isolated breast development with no other clinical signs of sexual maturation), with elevated estradiol levels, was reported in four girls ages 5 months to 5 years who had been administered two to three cups of fennel tea daily for 4 months to 2 years (Turkyilmaz et al. 2008). 

A case series of methemoglobinemia with respiratory distress, cyanosis, and tachycardia, was reported in four infants, 7 to 9 months old, that had been fed purees of fennel (part and dose used not specified). High nitrate levels in the products administered were believed to be responsible for the methemoglobinemia (Murone et al. 2005). 

Allergic reactions to fennel are rare but have been reported (Bensky et al. 2004 De Smet 1992 Ottolenghi et al. 1995). Human studies have indicated an association between birch-mugwort-celery syndrome and fennel allergy (Jensen-Jarolim et al. 1997 Stager et al. 1991). 

Animal studies and human case reports have indicated estrogenic activity of fennel (Malini et al. 1985 Turkyilmaz et al. 2008). 

Although case reports and in vitro studies indicate some estrogenic activity of fennel, considering the widespread use and relative lack of adverse events reported, the editors of this text believe that fennel tea is safe for use during pregnancy and lactation. Fennel essential oil and alcohol extracts of fennel, however, should not be used during pregnancy or lactation (Wichtl 2004). 

A review of the safety of fennel indicated that, while fennel essential oil, like many other essential oils, has been reported to cause excitation of the uterus, this effect is not likely to occur with therapeutic doses of fennel. The review also indicated that no cases of successfully self-induced abortions from fennel or fennel essential oil have been reported (De Smet 1992). 

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