BACKGROUND NOTE: By 1987, the issue
of secondhand smoke was heating up. The tobacco
industry had to find a way to deal with it. Noting the lack of
published studies showing that secondhand smoke was harmless, the
Tobacco Institute commissioned "studies" that were done with obvious
allies. The results of these studies (predictably) favored the tobacco
industry. Problem was, when the time came for the Institute to present
the results to the press, they found they had no credibility. Here is
an example from the first page of a 1987 Tobacco Institute memo:
Yesterday morning, the Texas Association of Wholesale
Distributors and the Tobacco Institute held a news conference
in Dallas to release the results of an environmental smoke
study...The highly favorable results of the study were
reviewed at our meeting last week....Questioning at the
conference was skeptical but not hostile. The Institute's
open sponsorship of the study affected the credibility of the
results...
(http://www.pmdocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=2025855771/5772)
The lack of credibility was exasperating for the industry. Worse yet,
they could not get respected scientists to do work for them, because of
the stigma associated with doing research for the tobacco industry. The
industry was stuck. It needed favorable research (and/or research that
would effectively muddy the waters on the secondhand smoke issues), AND
have it emanate from a reputable, prestigious source. To solve this
dilemma, several cigarette companies colluded to form a scientific front
group called the Center for Indoor Air Research or CIAR.
CIAR was initially formed and funded by Lorillard, Philip Morris and
R.J. Reynolds, in late 1987-early 1988. The formation of CIAR was kept
confidential. Many of the documents about hiring staff and recruiting
scientists for it were stamped "confidential." Much of the work to form
CIAR was conducted through Philip Morris' law firm, Covington and
Burling, which allowed documents to be labeled "Attorney Work Product."
That helped keep the origin of CIAR under wraps. A proposed budget was
put together by Peter Sparber (whom you will remember was responsible
for creating the TI's anti-insurance industry program featured a few
Daily Documents back). John Rupp, an attorney with Covington and
Burling, was hired to recruit other tobacco companies around the world
to join (translated: help fund and spread the work of) CIAR.
CIAR had to operate "at arm's length" from the industry so the Tobacco
Institute incorporated it as a completely separate, non-profit entity.
They rented separate offices for it (near other respected scientific
agencies) and hired a separate executive director. The purpose of CIAR
was to give grants to scientists who would in turn do research, produce
and publish studies that would bolster the industry's arguments against
regulation of environmental tobacco smoke. Another goal was the
eventual creation of its own scientific journal, the contents of which
could be controlled completely by the tobacco industry.
The following document belies the real purpose behind the Center for
Indoor Air Research:
Quotes:
A meeting of the executive committee of the Tobacco Institute, Inc. was
held at 8:30 am on December 10, 1987, at the Park Lane Hotel, New York,
New York. The following members of the Executive Committee were
present: Frank E. Resnick, Chairman, Thomas F. Ahrensfeld, Vice
Chairman, J. Robert Ave., Paul C. Bergson, K.V.R. Dey, Jr., Gerald H.
Long, Josiah S. Murray, III, Ernest Pepples, Arthur J. Stevens. There
were also present Dr. Alexander W. Spears of Lorillard, Inc., Guy L.
Smith IV of Philip Morris Incorporated; Samuel Chilcote, Jr. President
of The Institute and Stanley L. Temko, of counsel to the Institute.
The Chairman stated that the meeting afforded an opportunity for the
presentation of a proposal for the formal organization of a research
organization to deal with issues relating to indoor air quality. He
said that the matter had been under discussion for some time and that
the proposal would be presented by...Tom L. Ogburn and Dr. Charles Green
of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Dr. Thomas Osdene of Philip Morris
Incorporated.
Mr. Ogburn summarized the objectives of the program and the strategies
for its development. A basic aspect of the program would be to broaden
research in the field of indoor air quality generally and expand
interest beyond the misplaced emphasis solely on environmental tobacco
smoke. As outlined by Mr. Ogburn, the new organization would sponsor
and foster research on indoor air issues with emphasis on environmental
tobacco smoke, and also would communicate research findings to the broad
scientific community...
Title: The Tobacco Institute, Inc. Minutes of meeting of the Executive
Committee, December 10, 1987, New York, New York. [confidential]
Type of Document: Minutes
Author: Temko, SL - acting secretary of the Tobacco Institute
Date: 19871210
Site: Tobacco Institute document site http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/
Bates No. TIMN0014390/4393
Page Count: 4
URL:
http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=TIMN0014390/4393
source: Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
