[C-U Smokefree] IFAQ

[Theotskl at aol.com]

FYI.

T. Tsoukalas

Kalmanovitz Library and Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education,
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Read the full paper at
http://tc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/13/suppl_1/i20

Correspondence to:
Stanton A Glantz, PhD
Box 1390, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA;
<mailto:glantz at medicine.ucsf.edu>glantz at medicine.ucsf.edu

Objective: To examine an industry funded and controlled study of in flight
air quality (IFAQ).

Methods: Systematic search of internal tobacco industry documents available
on the internet and at the British American Tobacco Guildford Depository.

Results: Individuals from several tobacco industry companies, led by Philip
Morris, designed, funded, conducted, and controlled the presentation of
results of a study of IFAQ for the Scandinavian airline SAS in 1988 while
attempting to minimise the appearance of industry control. Industry lawyers
and scientists deleted results unfavourable to the industrys position from
the study before delivering it to the airline. The published version of the
study further downplayed the results, particularly with regard to
respirable suspended particulates. The study ignored the health
implications of the results and instead promoted the industry position that
ventilation could solve problems posed by secondhand smoke.

Conclusions: Sponsoring IFAQ studies was one of several tactics the tobacco
industry employed in attempts to reverse or delay implementation of
in-flight smoking restrictions. As a result, airline patrons and employees,
particularly flight attendants, continued to be exposed to pollution from
secondhand smoke, especially particulates, which the industrys own
consultants had noted exceeded international standards. This case adds to
the growing body of evidence that scientific studies associated with the
tobacco industry cannot be taken at face value.