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The Tobacco Industry and Pesticide Regulations:
Case Studies from Tobacco Industry Archives

Patricia A. McDaniel, Gina Solomon, and Ruth E. Malone
Environmental Health Perspectives, 2005: doi:10.1289/ehp.7452.
Available at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7452/7452.pdf

This study analyzed internal tobacco industry documents to describe industry activities aimed at influencing pesticide regulations. McDaniel, et al., demonstrates how the tobacco industry successfully altered the outcome in two cases by hiring ex-agency scientists to write reports favorable to industry positions regarding pesticide regulations for national (Environmental Protection Agency) and international (World Health Organization) regulatory bodies. The authors also show how the industry worked to forestall tobacco pesticide regulation in Europe while keeping tobacco industry interest a secret from government regulators.

Key Documents
The documents below provide evidence of RJ Reynolds' role in influencing US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations concerning the fumigant phosphine, which is applied to tobacco and finished cigarettes. Many of the documents are authored by Joel Seckar, an RJ Reynolds toxicologist who was part of a cross-industry coalition formed to challenge EPA's proposed risk reduction measures for phosphine. Mr. Seckar was largely responsible for hiring Sciences International, a consulting firm specializing in health and environmental risk assessment, to challenge the worker exposure standard.

Discussions between EPA and the industry coalition:

Seckar, J. 1999. Phosphine Risk Mitigation Measures 12 March 1999 Coalition Meeting with EPA, 10 May. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521597179/521597180.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/qbu80d00

Seckar J. 1999. Coalition Meeting with EPA to Discuss Science Issues Relative to EPA's Phosphine Risk Mitigation Measures, 19 Apr. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521597164/521597165.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mbu80d00

Seckar, J 1999. Phosphine Risk Mitigation Measures Meeting between EPA and Registrants, 14 Sep. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521106699/521106707.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/fwz20d00

Proposal for additional work by Sciences International:

Seckar, J. 1999. Fw: Additional Work, 30 Apr. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558674.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/vrx60d00

Seeking money to fund Sciences International's work:

Seckar, J. 1999. Phosphine Risk Mitigation Measures Financial Support Science Issues, 22 Jun. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558565/521558566.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/lrx60d00

Seckar, J. 1999. Phosphine Coalition Financial Support for Sciences International, 6 Aug. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558599/521558599.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mrx60d00

Minutes of cross-industry coalition meetings:

Seckar, J. 1999. Minutes of 11 May Phosphine Coalition Meeting, 14 May. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521597167/521597168.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/obu80d00

Seckar, J. 1999. Phosphine Coalition Meeting on 7/14/99, 22 Jul. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 523259580/523259582.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/efc51c00

Sciences International report drafts and comments by coalition reviewers:

Sciences International. 1999. Interim Status Report: Toxicity Review of Phosphine, 22 Jun. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558656/521558664.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/orx60d00

Sciences International. 1999. Interim Status Report: Phosphine Toxicity Review, Jul. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521576948/521576955.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/fic70d00

Wilkinson C. 1999. Phosphine Review, 22 Jun. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558667/521558669.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/rrx60d00

Barolo D. 1999a. Interim Status Report: Toxicity Review of Phosphine Reply, 28 Jun. RJ Reynolds. Bates No. 521558670/521558670.
Available: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/srx60d00

Documents supplied by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request:

Scan 1: EPA's response to the FOIA request (2005)

Scan 2: Evaluation by EPA toxicologist of Sciences International's interim report (1999)

Scan 3: Email correspondence among EPA staff (1999)

Scan 4: Handwritten notes of EPA meeting with industry coalition (1999)