The Tobacco Industry's Secondhand Smoke Cover-Up

By Anne Landman, PR Watch. Posted January 15, 2009.

Tobacco Companies Have Long Been Aware of Secondhand Smoke Hazards

Tobacco companies knew much more about the health hazards of secondhand smoke, and knew it longer ago, than most people realize.

Recognizing the need to do more biological research on its own products, but also understanding the need to distance itself from this research for legal reasons, in 1971 Philip Morris purchased a biological lab in Germany called Institut Fur Biologische Forschung (INBIFO), or Institute for Biological Research. Philip Morris then created a complex routing system to ensure that work done at INBIFO could not be linked back to the company. INBIFO routed its study results through a Philip Morris research-and-development facility in Switzerland called Fabriques de Tabac Reunies, and documents created at INBIFO were often in French or German language.

Between 1981 and 1989, Philip Morris conducted at least 115 inhalation studies on secondhand smoke at INBIFO in which it compared the toxicity of mainstream smoke (what the smoker inhales) to that of secondhand smoke. Philip Morris discovered that secondhand smoke is two to six times more toxic and carcinogenic per gram than mainstream smoke. The company never published the results of these in-house studies or alerted public health authorities to the findings. Rather, it kept this information strictly to itself -- even most Philip Morris employees were unaware of these studies.

Strategies to Deceive the Public

But Philip Morris did much worse than hide this crucial information from the public. Spurred by a 1993 EPA risk assessment that declared secondhand smoke a known human carcinogen, and recognizing the danger the secondhand smoke issue held for the cigarette industry, Philip Morris masterminded a massive global effort to confuse and deceive the public about the health hazards of secondhand smoke and to delay laws restricting smoking inside public places.

A 1993 internal Philip Morris strategy paper, "ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) World Conference," shows the company organizing a wide range of strategies to shape public views on secondhand smoke and fight smoking restrictions worldwide. Philip Morris pursued tactics to "shift concern over ETS to slippery slope argumentation and/or tolerance"; liken secondhand smoke to perceived risks from other items of public concern, such as cellular phones and chlorinated water; "shift concern over ETS in the workplace from the health issue to one of annoyance;" "shift the concern over ETS in restaurants from bans to accommodation, where bans are imminent;" "develop an 'ETS Task Force,' with global PM representation to develop strategies to combat smoking restrictions;" " ... package comprehensive improvements in ventilation to forestall tobacco specific bans and ... shift the debate from ETS to IAQ [indoor air quality]." Another strategy was the "development of a global coalition against junk science to complement a similar coalition Philip Morris was already forming in the United States.

At the same time, Philip Morris implemented Project Brass, a secret action plan conceived by the Leo Burnett company to create a "controversy" over secondhand smoke where there really was none. Project Brass strove to "forestall further public smoking restrictions/bans," "create a decided change in public opinion" and "develop an atmosphere more conducive to smokers" in the general public.

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