←Older revision
Revision as of 06:58, 21 September 2016
Line 1:
Line 1:
−
In early 1990, [[John Rupp]] the lawyer lobbyist working for the tobacco industry through Washington lawfirm [[Covington & Burling]] wrote a memo from Europe to keep his masters at Philip Morris in New York informed. His focus at this time was in recruiting so-called "consultants" (later known as [[WhiteCoats]] ... however they didn't consult with the tobacco company, but rather acted as undercover lobbyists, disinformation experts, and scientific influence peddlers for the industry in scientific meetings, conferences, media briefings, etc.
+
In early 1990, [[John Rupp]] the lawyer lobbyist working for the tobacco industry through Washington lawfirm [[Covington & Burling]] wrote a memo from Europe to keep his masters at Philip Morris in New York informed. His focus at this time was in recruiting so-called "consultants" (later known as [[WhiteCoats]] ... however they didn't consult with the tobacco company, but rather acted as undercover lobbyists, disinformation experts, and scientific influence peddlers for the industry in scientific meetings, conferences, media briefings, etc
. See also [[Whitecoats Project]]
.
−
One section of this report dealt with the creation of the '''Indoor Air International (IAI)''', supposedly a society of scientists working in the area of indoor air quality
, while another
section mentions the closely-related group known as [[Associates for Research in Indoor Air]] ([[ARIA]]).
This
was a cut-out organisation which allowed academics working for the tobacco industry to be paid through an intermediate 'consulting group', which would then pass on the payment in some untraceable way (often to Swiss bank accounts).
+
One section of this report dealt with the creation of
what eventually became
the '''Indoor Air International (IAI)''', supposedly a
worldwide
society of scientists working in the area of indoor air quality
testing and research. Another
section mentions the closely-related
UK
group known as [[Associates for Research in Indoor Air]] ([[ARIA]]).
ARIA
was a cut-out organisation which allowed academics working for the tobacco industry to be paid through an intermediate 'consulting group', which would then pass on the payment in some untraceable way (often to Swiss bank accounts).
+
+
IAI also provided the tobacco industry with an international front group for pseudo-scientific conferences in exotic locations (one of the favoured ways the tobacco industry used for paying compliant scientists) and it ran its own 'peer-review' Journal "[[Indoor Environment]]" and a bimonthly newsletter "AIRMAIL". The administration of all of these operations appears to have been with [[George B Leslie]] and his wife Kathleen based in Biggleswade, Beds. in the UK.
This section of the report also mentions a matching consulting group being formed in Asia which later acquired the name [[Asian Regional Tobacco Industry Science Team]] or [[ARTIST]]. And there was already a third in Scandanavia, known as [[EGIL]].
This section of the report also mentions a matching consulting group being formed in Asia which later acquired the name [[Asian Regional Tobacco Industry Science Team]] or [[ARTIST]]. And there was already a third in Scandanavia, known as [[EGIL]].
−
Rupp wrote:
+
Rupp wrote: <blockquote><i>
<br>
−
+
'''4 . Learned Society '''<br>
−
<blockquote><i>'''4 . Learned Society '''<br>
+
Our consultants have created the world's only learned scientific society addressing questions of indoor air quality. The society (Indoor Air International) is seeking memberships from all those interested in [[IAQ]] [Indoor Air Quality] issues throughout the world. It will soon have its own periodic newsletter, in which [[ETS]] [Environmental Tobacco Smoke] and other IAQ issues will be discussed in a balanced fashion to an audience of
Our consultants have created the world's only learned scientific society addressing questions of indoor air quality. The society (Indoor Air International) is seeking memberships from all those interested in [[IAQ]] [Indoor Air Quality] issues throughout the world. It will soon have its own periodic newsletter, in which [[ETS]] [Environmental Tobacco Smoke] and other IAQ issues will be discussed in a balanced fashion to an audience of
−
regulators, scientists, building operators, etc. It will also have its own scientific journal, published by a major European publishing house, in which IAQ issues will again be addressed.
<br><br>
+
regulators, scientists, building operators, etc. It will also have its own scientific journal, published by a major European publishing house, in which IAQ issues will again be addressed.
The society will be self-supporting from its own dues. it already exists under the laws of Switzerland, and has its own executive director based in Brussels. The society will sponsor meetings and conferences, such as the one scheduled for Switzerland in 1991, and thus can serve as an independent and accepted source of ideas and research
The society will be self-supporting from its own dues. it already exists under the laws of Switzerland, and has its own executive director based in Brussels. The society will sponsor meetings and conferences, such as the one scheduled for Switzerland in 1991, and thus can serve as an independent and accepted source of ideas and research
−
regarding IAQ to the public and the scientific community. it should be a major vehicle for reaching a variety of different audiences on IAQ issues.
<br>
+
regarding IAQ to the public and the scientific community. it should be a major vehicle for reaching a variety of different audiences on IAQ issues.
−
We are of course including Asian and American consultants in the society, so as to provide worldwide coverage of IAQ issues. <br><br>
+
We are of course including Asian and American consultants in the society, so as to provide worldwide coverage of IAQ issues.
+
+
'''5. Consulting group'''
<br>
+
Our EC consultants formed a consulting group called [[ARIA]] ([[Associates for Research in Indoor Air]]) that has its own brochure and is offering consulting services to companies and governments on IAQ issues. The ARIA model has been followed on a smaller scale by Asian consultants. We hope both groups will extend the reach and effectiveness of our consultants' advice on IAQ matters. [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mfj84a00/pdf] </i></blockquote>
+
+
==Publications==
+
The IAI produced a peer-reviewed scientific journal, ''Indoor Enviroments''' which alter changed its name to '''Indoor and Built Environment.'''
+
+
It also circulated a bimonthly newsletter AIR MAIL.
+
+
==Exposure as a front group==
+
+
The US Department of Justice noted in Aug 16 2004:
<br>
+
* <B> ARIA:</B> was created in Feb 1988 by lawyers <B> Covington & Burling </B> as a Philip Morris indoor air initiative in the United Kingdom. It was designed to generate tobacco-favorable scientific comment on ETS issues, and as such, it was little more than a public relations program. It was not a scientific research operation.
+
+
Although ARIA was funded by the industry, Covington & Burling acted as a buffer between the industry and the scientists to allow the members to retain the appearance of "independence."
+
+
* <B> Indoor Air International: </B> The group was headed by industry consultants George Leslie, Francis Roe, and Frank Lanau, who set up another industry front to fund indoor air quality seminars, research, and publications.
+
: [This was a ...] European front organization made up of industry consultants that acted on behalf of the tobacco industrv on ETS and indoor air quality issues . IAI Scientists were paid through, and received direction from Covington & Burling. IAI issued its own newsletter and published it's own scientific journal which was utilized to publish the works of the various industry consultants . IAI later became the International Society of the Built Environment or ISBE. [which published this journal]
+
[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/cee17a00/pdf]
+
+
==Summary of Changes==
+
# it was registered as a non-profit organisation in Switzerland under the name International Association for Indoor Air. It was probably then under the control of [[Helmut Gaisch]] at Philip Morris's S&T division, Laussane, Switzerland.
+
# The name was changed by adding "Quality" (and possibly 'The') to become The International Association for Indoor Air Quality -- register at Postfaach 2, CH-4467, Rothenfluh, Switzerland.
+
# It later became known as '''Indoor Air International'' and was under the control of the key [[ARIA]] group: [[George B Leslie]] (and his wife Kathleen), [[Frank Lunau]], and Professor [[Roger Perry]] of Imperial College London.
+
# A peer review journal was created under the editorship of Frank Lunau. It was later taken over by [[Donald F Weetman|DF ('Max') Weetman]]
+
# The journal became '''[[Indoor and Built Environments]] (IBE)'''
==Documents & Timelines==
==Documents & Timelines==
−
One document in the tobacco archives has a heading
<
blockquote
><
i
>
'''5. Consulting
group
''' (It says
:
) <br>
+
<
B
>
1990
<
/b
>
/E [[George B Leslie]] and his wife [[Katherine Leslie]] must have been contracted by Philip Morris at about this time to create what became the Indoor Air International umbrella organisation as a coordinating
group
which included
:
−
Our EC consultants formed
a
consulting group called
[[
ARIA
]]
(
[[
Associates for Research in Indoor Air
]])
that has its own brochure
and
is offering consulting services
to companies and
governments on IAQ issues
.
The
ARIA
model has been followed
on a
smaller scale by Asian
consultants.
We hope both groups
will
extend
the
reach and effectiveness
of
our consultants' advice on IAQ matters
. [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/
mfj84a00
/pdf] </
i
></
blockquote
>
+
:
a
) Some members of
[[
IAPAG
]]
and
[[
CEHHT
]]
the pseudo-scientific associations run by [[Sorrel Schwartz]] and [[Nancy Balter]] (with the Witorsch brothers
)
out of Georgetown University.
+
: b) Owners
and
some staff of the indoor air testing companies which had been retained by the US tobacco industry
to
test office air. {[[Larry Holcomb]], [[HBI]], [[Joe Robertson]] etc)
+
: c) Sheet metal
companies and
air-conditioning ducting installers and air-conditioning manufacturers
.
+
: d) Members of the various European, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. [[WhiteCoats]] groups -- [[
ARIA
]], [[EGIL]], [[ARTIST]],
+
: e) Independent academics willing to provide witness services, or conduct dubious research for the tobacco industry.
+
+
<hr>
+
+
<b>1991 May 29-31</b> IAI Conference
on
Indoor Air Research priorities in Montreaux, Switzerland. [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/fkcl0000]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1991 May</b> '''Montreaux Conference: Activity Report - Summary''
+
<UL> <li> Indoor Air International is organising
a
meeting on IAQ research next May at which many
consultants
will present papers
.
+
<li> These
will
be published in Indoor Environments,
the
peer reviewed journal
of
IAI
.
+
<li> Karger, a well-respected European company is to be publisher of this journal. </UL>
[ http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/
brc78e00
/pdf]
+
+
+
<hr>
+
+
<b>1991 Oct 1
</
b
>
IAI Conference on indoor air pollution held in Paris. [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/gfdh0127]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1992 Oct 8</b> Kathleen Leslie is circulating to members a confidential membership list with about 250 names. This copy was in British-American Tobacco's files.
+
It is difficult to believe that all names on this list were necessarily in the pay of the tobacco industry -- but at least half were ... and it is difficult to be sure about most of the the other half. This is possibly the most corrupted major scientific association ever. <br>
+
See the original document [http://industrydocuments.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/rkxy0191] <br>
+
See also further details in the [[IAI Membership List (1992)]]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1992</b> The obituary for [[Francis JC Roe]] says: <BLOCKQUOTE > 'Indoor and Built Environment' began life as 'Indoor Environment' in 1992 under the editorship of Professor [[Donald F Weetman|DF Weetman]], It was started by a diverse group of scientists and specialist who had backgrounds in Ventilation Engineering, Chemistry, Occupational and Public Health, Toxicology and Pathology."<font color=green>
+
: [They forgot to mention that all were united by the fact that they all worked as contractors to Philip Morris and the tobacco industry, and needed a front to confect some legitimacy.]</font>
+
+
It was a world leader, providing a forum for papers whose subjects crossed a number of disciplines. The most eminent scientist in the founding group was the experimental pathologist Dr FJC Roe. Francis acted as Technical Secretary to ''Indoor Air International'' as the group had called themselves ... [etc]
+
+
Francis was perhaps the leading British experimental pahtologist of his generation... He was member of numerous national and international expert committees including the DHSS (UK Department of Health) Committee on Carcinogencity and Toxicology in the UK and was on the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Food Safety, and was on the editorial boards of a number of scientific and medical journals. </BLOCKQUOTE> <font color=green>
+
: [In short, he must have been one of the most influential of all the tobacco-friendly scientists, and in his long life, one of the most destructive to public health.]
</
font
>
−
{{ARIA
/
EGIL}}
+
<hr>
+
<b>1994 Jan 2:<
/
b> IAI Council Membership and Tenure. [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/rjxy0191]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1994 Feb</b> IAI's newsletter "AIRMAIL" [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/lgfb0084]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1995 Jan: </b>OAO Council Membership and Tenure [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/mpxb0096]
−
See
[
[ARIA
]
] for more details
.
+
<hr>
+
<b>1995 Mar 31 - Apr1</b> IAI Conference on Toxicology and Air Pollution: Risk Assessment, held at the Medical Faculty, De Parmacie University de Bourgogne, Dijon France.
[
https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/mfkj0159
]
+
<hr>
+
<b>1995 June: 7th - 9th</b> IAI Conference: Scientific and Regulatory Aspects of Air Quality Managenient - - Venue: St Petersburg, Russia Details from: Professor N Bitcolov
.
Association "Air Environment" Research Institute of Industrial and Marine Medicine. [https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/zjbx0068]