Study: Philip Morris ‘shaped’ secondhand smoke review in 2001

Edvard Pettersson

Monday, March 7, 2005 | 9:34 a.m.

Philip Morris, a division of Altria Group Inc., successfully encouraged an author to change his conclusion in a 2001 scientific review of the risk of secondhand smoke, according to a study in Pediatrics.

The review, commissioned by a Swiss subsidiary of Philip Morris and published in a British medical journal, questioned evidence for links between postnatal secondhand smoke and sudden infant death syndrome. The author had originally concluded there was a risk factor, the Pediatrics study said, citing tobacco industry documents made available after legal settlements.

The findings provide evidence the tobacco industry continues to influence scientific research regarding the risk of secondhand smoke in spite of a 1998 agreement not to do so, said Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, and the study's lead author.

"This shows that 1998 didn't change anything," Glantz said in an interview. "It's the same strategy the industry has used for more than 50 years to spread confusion about the dangers of smoking."

Philip Morris hadn't had time to review the Pediatrics article Friday and couldn't immediately comment on it, spokeswoman Jennifer Golisch said in a telephone interview. The company believes the public should be guided by the conclusions of public health officials regarding the effects of secondhand smoke, she said.

In 1997 Philip Morris commissioned Frank Sullivan, a toxicologist and former lecturer at the University of London, to write a review on risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome. The cigarette maker was concerned that studies showing links between secondhand smoke and child health issues might lead to more smoking bans, the Pediatrics article said.

In a draft sent to Philip Morris officials, Sullivan concluded that both prenatal and postnatal smoke exposure are independent risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome. After meeting with Philip Morris executives and getting their comments, Sullivan changed his conclusion to say that postnatal smoking was a less well-established risk, the study said.

A telephone listing for Sullivan couldn't be found. He didn't immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

As part of the 1998 agreement between the tobacco industry and 46 U.S. states, cigarette makers agreed to stop challenging scientific evidence linking smoking and health problems, Glantz said. The 2001 review, which has been cited in at least 19 scientific papers, misleads doctors and patients about the risks of secondhand smoke, he said.