Clearing The Air

Just looking out for your health....

.....well, more importantly their bottom line.

Trading big tobacco for big pharmaceutical nicotine. Who is funding smoking bans? Follow the money trail.

The first time bar & restaurant air quality, regarding secondhand smoke, was ever tested; or published; anywhere in the country, was right here in 2004 by the city of St. Louis Park, MN. Environmental Health Department; and the results prove that secondhand smoke is 150 times below (safer than) OSHA permissible exposure limits. Does this mean secondhand smoke is health hazard? ...only if you believe that OSHA is in the business of harming people.

Who is upset about this news? All the non-profit organizations who receive funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Who is Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and why would they fund smoking bans? The founder was non other than the founder of Johnson & Johnson Company, manufacturer of Nicoderm and Nicoderm CQ. Additionally, the American Lung Association, American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association received $99,000,000.00 from RWJF. According to a local newspaper reporter the American Cancer Society, in 2004 alone, spent $600,000.00 here in MN. to lobby in favor of smoking bans.

The information and "studies" provided to our lawmakers by any of these organizations should be viewed as highly dubious at best, since it comes from the pharmaceutical nicotine interests which financially benefit after smoking bans are implemented.

More Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Nicoderm, Nicoderm CQ) funding to non-profit organizations: (partial list)

2001 MN. Smoke-free coalition $824,977
2001 University of MN. $401,182
2001 American Non-Smokers Rights Foundation $971,114
2001 American Cancer Society $14,673,657
2002 American Cancer Society $3,294,002
2002 American Medical Association $2,034,859
2002 American Medical Association Foundation $7,750,288
2002 American Lung Association $2,923,061

Conflict of interest?........of course. The question is, are lawmakers unwitting participants in this scandal?

Full list of grant recipients 1996-2002, figures for 2003 & 2004 not yet available.

What does OSHA say about secondhand smoke?

Update: More in depth RWJF information

Update: Links to recent RWJF grants to promote smoking bans

posted by marcus aurelius @ 1:34 AM