A government health warning

Cot death is an easy target for journalists looking for a story. A recent Cook Report (yes, the man who wedges doors open with his foot) implicated antimony poisoning from cot mattresses as a major cause of cot death. The result, public confusion and immeasurable distress for parents of cot death babies, was reflected in more than 6000 calls to a cot death helpline. It was with misgivings that I watched yet another film about sudden infant death syndrome.

The programme opened with a harrowing recording of a mother's 999 call, played over a reconstruction of the ambulance dash to her home. This was followed by an interview with some recently bereaved parents whose simple eloquence spoke …