Clearing The Air

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Secondhand smoke in bars & restaurants vs. welding smoke in our factories

I quit smoking nearly 20 years ago, and I think it is always good when a smoker decides to quit smoking voluntarily. But today's smoking bans, financed by the pharmaceutical nicotine companies which profit from passage of those bans, are coercive, collusive, and frankly bordering on racketeering in my opinion. Especially when air quality test results prove secondhand smoke concentrations are 152 times safer than OSHA guidelines . The California EPA Air Resources Board recently conducted air quality tests on secondhand smoke and obtained results 50,000 – 100 times safer than OSHA guidelines.

The point I would make is that county, state, and local officials seem to be content with OSHA air quality standards in its factories, where workers are exposed to welding smoke and plasma smoke at concentrations MUCH heavier and more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke. At our factories local government officials are content to let OSHA guidelines dictate, however in the bars & restaurants the air quality, even though 152 times safer than OSHA guidelines, secondhand smoke is considered a health hazard. Quite the hypocrisy isn't it?

So the question is, do county commissioners and local politicians care less about the health of our factory workers than they do about the health of our restaurant and bar workers? I hope and believe that is not the case. I believe were it not for the fact that some influential non-profits are bombarding our politicians with reams upon reams of their "studies", financed by pharmaceutical nicotine interests like RWJF, government officials would have never taken the secondhand smoke issue upon themselves. That is the reason I provide government officials with the RWJF (Nicoderm) grant information. Nicoderm benefactors demand a smoking ban as part of their marketing strategy, however since recent air quality studies show that there is NO health hazard as defined by OSHA; government officials need to know they don't have to give in to the Robert Wood Johnson / Nicoderm demands.

Update: The American Cancer Society air quality testing proves secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA regulations for secondhand smoke.

What can the television audience teach us about media bias?

I received an email this morning from KSTP television viewer Archie Anderson about a news story which reported a grain elevator explosion in Vernon Center, MN.

The story begins with Archie confronting KSTP's Mike Binkley

From: AArchie446@aol.com
To: mbinkley@kstp.com
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 12:47:37 EDT

Subject: non smoking grain elevator explosion Mike Binkley:

You are predictable and biased, you have been watching too many anti smoking brainwashing commercials shown on your station. Instead of asking the spokesperson from the grain elevator association if, their electrical service was inspected recently, or if an "uncovered light bulb" had been broken, or if any of the employees had come to work under the influence you asked the KSTP predictable instead, is there "no smoking there?" hoping to make it another false KSTP statement that everything is caused by tobacco.

Archie's follow-up email apparently after the conclusion of the explosion investigation:

....your attempt at being the messenger and the message at the same time by an ad hominen attack on smokers suggesting that smoking may have been responsible for the grain elevator explosion in Vernon Center in your interview with elevator representatives. In my letter to you, sent while the cause of the explosion was still "unknown" I suggested that an uncovered light bulb may have caused the explosion and you should question the elevator experts with realistic questions other than the typical KSTP "smoking related suggestive questioning". I was right and you were wrong and unprofessional, it was a light bulb that caused the explosion and NOT SMOKERS as you wished. We smokers do accept apology's even from .....authorities like you and the folks in the newsroom at KSTP (Keeping Smokers Targeted Politically)

Of course what Archie may not realize is that RWJF & the Nicoderm people pay big money for media influence in favor of the anti-smoking agenda, as proven here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2005/10/media-control-regarding-smoking.html

Look, I quit smoking nearly 20 years ago, and it was a good thing that I did. I further think it is always good when a smoker decides to quit smoking voluntarily. But today's smoking bans, financed by the pharmaceutical nicotine companies which profit from passage of those bans, are coercive, collusive, and frankly bordering on racketeering in my opinion. Especially when air quality test results prove secondhand smoke concentrations are 152 times safer than OSHA guidelines.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Are Governor Pawlenty and other pro-smoking ban politicians original thinkers or just following pharmaceutical nicotine orders?

It's old news that Pawlenty introduced the "health impact fee" on tobacco products last session. Healthcare officials and non-profits heralded this bill with praises and adulation.....So was the health impact fee an unexpected move to non-profit organizations like American Lung, American Cancer, the AMA, American Non-Smoker's Rights, etc.?
Not exactly, you see they've been paid by the pharmaceutical nicotine industry for years to lobby politicians for similar tax increases on tobacco products in all 50 states. Here is a preliminary funding grant by RWJF (of Nicoderm financial interests) to study legislative compliance to pharmaceutical nicotine interests:

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/026698s.htm
Grantee: American Cancer Society $874,000 paid by the Nicoderm company (RWJF). Purpose of grant: ......planned to mobilize ACS's state and local staff and volunteers to promote ..........benefits of tobacco taxes and provide materials, policy analysis, and media plans. Over the full course, the above grant led to a total of $50,000,000.00 to "educate" our policy makers to RWJF's (Nicoderm) way of thinking.

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/022933.htm This early grant explored the possibilities of legislator's bending to the will of the RWJF (Nicoderm) funded non-profits. One of the grant finding reports: Almost all legislators reported that medical society and nonprofit health organization lobbyists were credible on tobacco issues and slightly more than half believed that these lobbyists were important sources of information.......Overall, three to four times more legislators said they could be persuaded on tobacco issues by medical society and nonprofit health lobbyists ....... I wonder if their opinion changes when they find out Nicoderm money is used to fund the nonprofit health lobbyists?

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/031814s.htm This grant seems to suggest that once tobacco taxes were raised, RWJF attempted to influence the use of the tax revenues for further tobacco control legislation. In other words tobacco users were paying for further legislative action against them. How clever.

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/041530.htm This Nicoderm grant titled Smokeless Wisconsin, targeted WI state officials to give in to RWJF demands.

You can research more of these tobacco tax initiatives from the Nicoderm affiliates here:
http://www.rwjf.org/search/grrresults.jsp?query=cigarette+tax&omitCommon=true&behaviorType=1&

RWJF doesn't fund legislation out of concern for anyone's health, rather because they are concerned about their own financial health and expansion. And recent Health Dept. air quality studies as well as the California EPA studies on secondhand smoke show SHS concentrations are between 50,000 to 15 times safer than OSHA guidelines.

Therefore I expect, after the full financial damage to individuals and businesses are realized due to smoking bans, attorney generals and law firms will go after the pharmaceutical nicotine industry as well as those funded by them, with the same fervor they once pursued the tobacco industry.

There'll be a smokin' good time......

..........when comedian Tim Slagle comes to the Acme comedy club Nov.1 -5. The smokin' good time occurs Nov. 3, I hope the smoking police don't find out about it.

Post testimony

I testified yesterday at Hennepin county's open forum meeting regarding the smoking ban.

Over the past year I have testified regarding the air quality standards as per the city of St. Louis Park, MN. and the fact that actual secondhand smoke levels in 19 establishments ranged from 500 - 15 times safer than OSHA requires. Yesterday I took a different approach and provided all seven county commissioners documentation of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant activity. These were just a sampling of grants RWJF provided to the American Lung, American Cancer, American Heart Assoc., American Non-Smoker's Rights etc. totaling just over $100,000,000.00.

These organizations then took that money and spend it lobbying our politicians to demand smoking bans, claiming that secondhand smoke is a health hazard. However, what the non-profits didn't count on was the St. Louis Park study which showed the median establishment, Applebees, having air quality 152 times safer than OSHA requires for airborne nicotine*.

The point I didn't get in during testimony was that Hennepin county officials seem to be content with the air quality standards in its factories, where workers are exposed to welding smoke and plasma smoke at concentrations heavier and more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke. At the factories Hennepin county commissioners are content to let OSHA guidelines dictate, however in the bars & restaurants the air quality, even though 152 times safer than OSHA guidelines, secondhand smoke is considered a health hazard. Quite a hypocrisy isn't it?

So the question is, do county commissioners and local politicians care less about the health of our factory workers than they do about the health of our restaurant and bar workers? I hope and believe that is not the case. I believe were it not for the fact that some influential non-profits are bombarding our politicians with reams upon reams of their "studies", government officials would have never taken the secondhand smoke issue upon themselves. That is the reason I provided county commissioners with the RWJF (Nicoderm) grant information. Nicoderm benefactors demand a smoking ban as part of their marketing strategy, however since recent air quality studies show that there is NO health hazard per OSHA guidelines, government officials need to know they don't have to give in to the Robert Wood Johnson / Nicoderm demands.

* Nicotine is the only unique or "trace" chemical in secondhand smoke. If you measured for formaldehyde, the carpet and other interior sources of formaldehyde would corrupt the test result, formaldehyde is also formed naturally in our atmosphere due to photochemical oxidation. Benzene is given off from burning foods in the kitchen and also diesel exhaust outdoors, so again a false reading would be obtained. Therefore, nicotine is the ideal chemical to measure for in secondhand smoke. And then our comparison to OSHA guidelines is the logical manner in which to determine if secondhand smoke levels pose a health hazard. **

**both the St. Louis Park Environmental Health Department and the California EPA Air Resources Board measured air quality for the "trace" chemical nicotine.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Perhaps the elusive American Lung spokeperson......

......Mr. Bob Moffit would like to comment on this post.

As I was perusing the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website, I came upon this fantastic financial grant. Interesting items of note regarding this grant come right from the RWJF website:

"This chapter describes SmokeLess States®: National Tobacco Policy Initiative, one of the largest investments made by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with $99 million.......with the intention that they would educate the public and policy-makers......the Foundation encouraged its grantees to be activists........advocacy was emphasized to bring about policy change.........The program relied heavily on three major health voluntary organizations: the American Cancer Society; the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association....to help lobbying efforts which the Foundation could not support directly (in other words RWJF needed a "middleman" so it didn't appear as though they were directly involved in mandating their product use).......the role of coalitions in bringing about social change...."

Oh.....Bobby, this looks bad. I think you guys need some quick communicating skills, and now. Do you know anyone skilled in that profession? Perhaps you could ask Craig Westover for some advice.

PS. Should RWJF try to delete this grant from their website, I have it backed up.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Politicians are being used by the Nicoderm company to implement smoking bans.....for pharmaceutical nicotine profit

Here is a copy of the latest letter city councils, county commissioners, and state senate / house members around the country are receiving from Clearing the Air:

Dear Government official:

Remember, given that RWJF was formed by Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical and that J & J is the largest manufacturer of smoking cessation products ....using any information by them, or the anti-smoking activists they fund ALA, ACS, ANR, AMA, UCLA, U of M etc., to affect policy changes, specifically smoking bans; is like putting the coyotes in charge of guarding the hen house.

The desire for profits means they would fabricate and exaggerate health risks to get the outcome they demand.

Meanwhile, secondhand smoke concentrations are 150 times safer than OSHA requires, an environmental health department proves it, and here the California EPA proves it.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Media control regarding smoking bans.......confirmed by the RWJF (Nicoderm) grant recipients

http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/grant.jsp?id=41037&iaid=143&gsa=1

My belief was that the above $2.3 million grant was issued by RWJF (of Nicoderm financial interest) to control the media's coverage in order to show the pro side only, of the smoking ban issue. Guess what, here is the good doctor's response......judge for yourself.

Here was the original question I posed to Frank J. Chaloupka Ph.D. (Project Director) of University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, the grant recipient.

In doing some research I came across this grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to you:

"Tracking the media and political impact of state-level tobacco control....."
http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/grant.jsp?id=41037&iaid=143&gsa=1

Could you explain its final goal with respect to media coverage regarding smoking bans?

Thank you,

Mark Wernimont

Here is Frank J. Chaloupka Ph.D. (Project Director)'s response:

Hi Mark

-Thanks for your interest; the main purpose of the grant is to evaluate the impact of the RWJF-funded SmokeLess States program; this program funded state level tobacco control coalitions that aimed to strengthen state and local tobacco control policies through a combination of policy and media advocacy efforts.

Given the goals of the program, we're focusing the evaluation on three key outcomes - media coverage of tobacco issues (as reflected by coverage of tobacco in daily circulating newspapers), tobacco control policies (introduction and adoption of new tobacco control policies, with an emphasis on the three policy areas SmokeLess States focused on - cigarette and other tobacco taxes, restrictions on smoking in public places and workplaces, and medicaid coverage for smoking cessation), and the strength of the state tobacco control infrastructure (as assessed in surveys of people working on tobacco control in state health departments, state tobacco control programs, major tobacco control coalitions, and elsewhere).

The main hypotheses are that the SmokeLess States program led to more coverage of tobacco issues in the media and that the coverage was more favorable to tobacco control efforts , that more tobacco control legislation was introduced and stronger policies adopted, and that the state tobacco control infrastructure was strengthened. In addition, we're exploring the relationship between some of these outcomes -e.g. whether or not the extent and tone of news coverage on smoking bans relates to the introduction and adoption of legislation to ban smoking.

Hope this helps; let me know if you have any follow up questions.

Best,
Frank

I guess that confirms it.....the media can be bought, if the price is right.

*Remember given that RWJF was formed by Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical and that J & J is the largest manufacturer of smoking cessation products....using any information by them, or the anti-smoking activists they fund, to affect policy changes, specifically smoking bans; is like putting the coyotes in charge of guarding the hen house.

The desire for profits means they would fabricate and exaggerate health risks to get the outcome they demand.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

I hope the anti-smoking activists saved some of the multi-million dollars they received from RWJF.....

KSTP and Vineeta Sawkar tell the story of more bars closing (video) due to the smoking bans in the Twin Cities. By the way when Vineeta says American Lung states 30 - 40 new bars have opened up to take the place of closed bars.....they're just blowing smoke it's more like 25 at most. Check out Hops in Maple Grove, they went out of business and there's no new bar to take it's place....it will become a bank I am told by a Chamber of Commerce official.

Besides the real point is that owners and employees are losing livelihoods, life savings, homes and jobs.......even though all the "experts" like American Lung, American Cancer, Non-Smoker's Rights, and many other Robert Wood Johnson compensated spokespersons testified before our politicians that there would be no business or financial losses.

......can you say compensatory damages?

Did anyone notice that Minnesota unemployment increased for September '05....just a coincidence I'm sure.

Hennepin & Ramsey County Establishments out of business since the smoking ban......

Updated list (updates from MN Monthly)

More local commentary here:

".....40 bars and several (don't have the exact number) restaurants in Minneapolis have closed.....Now that winter is upon us, we are likely to see another surge ofclosings. 1400 jobs have already been lost in the hospitality industry....."

Hop's
Denny's Restaurant (this was the local favorite for smokers in Plymouth)
Waldo's
Copelands
TGIF 2 locations
TGIF
Nick & Tony's
Players
America's Original Sportsbar
Jillian's
Park Tavern Bloomington
Larry's Lounge in Long Lake
Goodfellow's
Chang O'Hara's (bankruptcy protection)
Mainstreet Bar & Cafe
Bilimbi Bay (all three)
Bilimbi Bay
Bilimbi Bay
MN Sports Cafe
Jacobs 101
Café Di Napoli
Bennigans
Majors
Southtown Bingo
Italiani's
3 Muses
13 Moons
510 Restaurant
Amie
Chez Foley
Chives
El Rey de Oro
Mpls. Café
Soul City Supper Club
Tonic of Uptown
Porter's
Molly Quinn's
Breakaway Bar -(Luke is still hanging on as best he can, stop by and say hello)
Minnehaha Grill
Margarita Bella
Olive Garden
Knuckleheads Comedy Club
Shamrock's W. 7th St. Paul (rumor is this one is a personal vendetta by some pro-smoking ban city council members in St. Paul against an owner who testified against the ban. In other words the city refused to extend a license on a technicality, but that's just the rumor from some St. Paul hospitality business owners, feel free to correct me on this one Mr. Thune)

*list of closures as reported by members of the public, and when possible verified with the respective city.......reports of bar / restaurant closures due to smoking ban apparently are not being reported by the Star & Tribune nor Pioneer Press.....perhaps because of their editorial agenda.

Anybody with further closings or corrections, please leave comments.

(those on the Johnson & Johnson payroll....who try to make excuses for the closings...need not comment....that means you American Lung Assoc., American Cancer Society, American Non-Smokers Rights Org., AMA, U of M and all the others who accepted Nicoderm CQ money....your special interest funding precludes you from commenting on this post, MPAAT included)

41 closings in 6 months, that's an average of over 6 closings per month. Or at 202 days into the smoking ban which equals one bar /restaurant closing every 5 days.

I wonder how many closed during the same period last year, anybody out there with an answer?

A secondhand smoke air quality study by the California EPA....

....specifically by the California Air Resources Board of the California EPA.

Regular readers know that I frequently point out the City of St. Louis Park, MN. Environmental Health Department air quality test results, which measured for secondhand smoke concentrations indoors at bars & restaurants in 2004. The SLP air quality test results, measuring for nicotine*; the trace component of secondhand smoke, obtained the following results:

1 - 33 micrograms per cubic meter, median result 3.3 micrograms / cu. M

OSHA safe level is 500 micrograms per cubic meter (.5 mg /cu. M)

So the SLP results show secondhand smoke concentrations indoors to be 500 -15 times safer than OSHA requires, median level is 152 times safer than OSHA regulations.

The California EPA Air Resources Board conducted air quality testing which measured for secondhand smoke concentrations outdoors, again measuring for nicotine*; the trace component of secondhand smoke, and obtained the following results:

.01 -5 micrograms per cubic meter. (found at bottom of page 3 here)

OSHA safe level is 500 micrograms per cubic meter (.5 mg /cu. M)

So the California EPA results show secondhand smoke concentrations outdoors to be 50,000 -100 times safer than OSHA requires.

The reason this study recently made headlines is that UCLA contacted the California Air Resources Board of the California EPA to say "....see this is why you need to ban smoking outdoors as well........" However at 50,000 - 100 times safer than OSHA guidelines, nobody is harmed.....except of course Johnson & Johnson Company and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) both with serious financial interests in Nicoderm and other pharmaceutical nicotine products.

Further to note, the University of California school system has received so many financial grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, more here, and here, etc. etc. I haven't been able to calculate it all........hmmmm, I wonder what their motive might be?

* Nicotine is the only unique or "trace" chemical in secondhand smoke. If you measured for formaldehyde, the carpet and other interior sources of formaldehyde would corrupt the test result, fomaldehyde is formed naturally in our atmosphere due to photochemical oxidation. Benzene is given off from burning foods in the kitchen or diesel exhaust outdoors so again a false reading would be obtained. Therefore, nicotine is the ideal chemical to measure for to obtain secondhand smoke concentrations. And then our comparison to OSHA guidelines is the logical manner in which to determine if secondhand smoke levels pose a health hazard.

Monday, October 17, 2005

What can South Park teach us about smoking bans?

".....those anti-smoking people are liars and they're bullies, who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and that means they're dangerous...."

What South Park character made that statement regarding the anti-smoking activists? See for yourself here in the episode titled "Butt Out".

Sunday, October 16, 2005

UPDATED: Somebody sent me a link to a "new study" from California about secondhand smoke.

It was titled "State of California says Second-Hand smoke makes women and children...." smell like smoke.

I love this line from the "study"

".....New findings in the Cal-EPA report, Part B, include: a "causal link" between secondhand smoke exposure and pre-term delivery........"

It reminds me of all their other "studies" which have the phrases:

"It is estimated..."
"We believe.."
"Studies suggest...."
"Officials speculate...."
"Possible link....."

The one I'd like to see from the smoking ban activists is "We've been paid by the Nicoderm people to say secondhand smoke is harmful....." at least it would be honest. Perhaps the only honest phrase provided by any of these groups.

And I'm sure we can all agree babies that smell of smoke is a good enough reason to ban smoking in privately owned bars.

UPDATE: It should be noted that the source of this study and the recommendation to the California Air Resources Board to list environmental tobacco smoke as hazardous, comes from UCLA John Froines Phd. UCLA has received millions of dollars from the Nicoderm people, special interest funding which makes any study they cite highly suspect to say the least.

As a side note, the test results below come directly from UCLA papers (bottom page 3, item 2), they find nicotine results, just as the City of St. Louis Park Environmental Health Department did, ranging from 0.01 - 5 ug / cu. M. The OSHA permissible exposure limit is 0.5 mg / cu. M.

California Air Resources Board (CARB) test results .00000001 - .000005 g / cu. M.

OSHA acceptable .0005 g / cu. M.

In other words CARB test results are 50,000 -100 times lower (safer than) OSHA requirements.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Fighting nationwide smoking ban efforts

Since nearly a year of posting almost relentlessly about the smoking bans, I have had people ask why I am so obsessed with the issue...First answer is that it eliminated my job of 15 years.

But over the course of time Clearing the Air information been sought after by those who are also fighting a proposed smoking ban, and I feel a responsibility to those colleagues who do battle in places like Chicago, D.C., Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Washington etc. against the anti-business agenda of politicians who have become mindless and numbed by the sweet serenade of the anti-smoking sirens....I am referring to the sky is falling, special interest funded activists, American Lung, American Cancer, American Heart Assoc., American Non-Smoker's Rights etc.

My fellow colleagues each have a unique expertise to add to the battleground, and mine is the definitive air quality test results which put to rest the health hazard argument once and for all. Health department air quality testing proves secondhand smoke is 150 times safer than OSHA requires.

Speaking of health hazards, I have one question that all should ask the politicians who propose or support smoking bans (preferably during smoking ban testimony).

Why do the American Lung and other organizations ignore the health hazards to millions of factory workers exposed to welding smoke where carcinogens exceed OSHA guidelines; yet regarding bars & restaurants where smoke concentrations are 150 times lower (safer than) OSHA requirements, they demand smoking bans?

Could it be the special interest funding they receive from the Nicoderm people?

Update 4/13/09:
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2009/03/worldwide-economic-meltdown-and.html

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Good news for property owners fighting proposed smoking ban ordinances

Global Air Filtration Systems Inc. industry press release informs the world that its air filtration equipment reduced secondhand smoke levels to 152 times safer than OSHA regulations require, in a renowned Environmental Health Department air quality test.

No further need for smoking bans.....thank you very much!

How much will Robert Wood Johnson spend to fight that worldwide press release?

Let's see.

UPDATE: Global Air's press release went out at 1:15 pm, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was on our air filtration equipment website by 1:46 pm.

Perhaps RWJF is looking to acquire Clean-air-quality.com.....I've always said I'm a capitalist.

More publications carrying the Global Air Filtration press release:

Wired Hotelier

Hospitality Net

Int'l. Hotel Motel & Restaurant Show

And numerous other print media outlets.

The Lunger and the non-profits must know they're in trouble......

....when one of the most liberal local media outlets shows the financial harm that the misguided and scientifically bankrupt smoking ban ordinances have caused.

From WCCO news comes this story:

Thirty-five bars have gone out of business in Minneapolis since the ban went into effect. On average, that amounts to about one every eleven days.

I may have to change my mind about WCCO. KSTP proved they're not willing to present the politically incorrect truths about the smoking ban, when they edited out important facts in an interview I provided them earlier this year.

I'm impressed CCO, keep up the good work. Of course you realize that this means Robert Wood Johnson (Nicoderm) isn't going to provide you with a multi-million dollar check like they do for the other media outlets who "play ball" with them.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Not that I need to respond to American Non-Smoker's Rights...

...but because a few readers requested my answers to their letter, here they are.

American Non-Smoker’s Rights
Cynthia Hallett
Executive Director

Ms. Hallett

The response to your four questions:

1, 2, 4) Let me start by saying that these questions are unfair to the air filtration manufacturers you cite on pages 3 & 4, because Global Air has the advantage of knowing the results of a local environmental health department air quality study conducted in 2004. The Crystal-Aire Smokeeter as well as the LS Smokeeter have already proven their abilities to eliminate health hazards, as defined by OSHA, not by our testing, nor by your well funded side of the issue, I am referring to RWJF, the Johnson & Johnson Company (Nicoderm) affiliate; rather by the City of St. Louis Park, MN. Environmental Health Department.

Within the 19 establishments whose air quality was tested regarding secondhand smoke, 2 bar / restaurants had model Crystal-Aire Smokeeters, and one had the model LS Smokeeter electronic aircleaners. The test results proved that Smokeeter establishment A had air quality regarding secondhand smoke 68 times safer than OSHA requires, B had air quality 152 times safer than OSHA requires, and C had air quality 174 times safer than OSHA requires.

Note: the City of SLP test results measured for nicotine, because nicotine is the only unique chemical in secondhand smoke, therefore it is referred to as a “trace” chemical. If you measured for formaldehyde, the carpet and other interior sources of formaldehyde would corrupt the test result. Benzene is given off from burning foods in the kitchen so again a false reading would be obtained, etc. etc. Therefore, nicotine is the ideal chemical to measure for in secondhand smoke. And then our comparison to OSHA guidelines is the logical manner in which to determine if secondhand smoke levels pose a health hazard.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (pel) for nicotine is 0.5 mg/ cu. Meter..ie. 0.0005 g/cu.M
The city of SLP readings are in micrograms (ug) / cu.M 3.3ug / cu. M……ie. 0.0000033 g/ cu.M is the median reading establishment B.

3) The Smokeeter electronic filtration system captures particulate to 0.01 micron particle size (eye of a needle = 100 microns), as for gases the Crystal-Aire utilizes 20 #lbs. of activated carbon which adsords (not absords) many volatile organic compounds (gases).

Global Air Filtration has always maintained the UAS warranty that all air cleaning equipment, when sized properly, meets or exceeds regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA), found on their website here:

http://www.uasinc.com/uas_history.asp

Further supporting data regarding the SLP test results and OSHA comparison below:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/02/air-quality-testing-and-secondhand.html

City of St. Louis Park official results:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/09/st-louis-park-mn-environmental-health.html

OSHA TABLE Z-1 Limits for Air Contaminants. - 1910.1000 TABLE Z-1:

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9992

Sincerely;

Global Air Filtration Systems Inc.
www.clean-air-quality.com

Obviously the response ANR wanted, was for me to cower to their threats. But with the St. Louis Park test results showing secondhand smoke hazards well below OSHA permissible exposure limits......the only one with any explaining to do is American Non-Smoker's Rights and the other non-profits who have recieved nearly $200,000,000.00 from Nicoderm interests at RWJF.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Here is the article that started pharmaceutical nicotine's targeted fight against big tobacco....for profit...not health.

A Reflection On Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems
Mark C. Taylor, MD,. FRCSC
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada (circa 1997?)

Article source: http://www.smoke-free.ca/pdf_1/ands.pdf

AND=Alternative nicotine delivery

......a quote from the article in page one second paragraph:

"....The proper regulatory response is to implement a strategy that levels the regulatory playing field between the cigarette and AND products."

..Pharmaceutical companies are urged to be more aggressive marketers. "I think it important that nicotine drug manufacturers (Johnson & Johnson, RWJF), who will profit from less cigarette sales, pursue this in their advertising and that they lift any voluntary restraints they have from directly competing with tobacco products and attacking the tobacco industry."......

Given the directive above, Nicoderm manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson Company, utilized their partner RWJF, to fund smoking ban efforts around the globe in order to prop up demand of the alternative pharmaceutical nicotine products they maunufacture or own. Products like Nicoderm, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol, Nicorette, Commit, etc.

I'd call this the smoking gun.....that's what the anti-smoking activists called the tobacco company memos which exposed internal strategies.

Monday, October 03, 2005

If the non-profits can't get me to stop presenting the facts........

..............they'll resort to threats.

This is great! I received this letter from the American Non-Smoker's Rights Foundation in Berkeley, CA., yes the very same American Non-Smoker's Rights Foundation which received $1,000,000.00 from the Nicoderm connected Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in this grant, this letter it seems it supposed to be a threat to air filtration equipment claims on this website.. www.clean-air-quality.com, ANR states:

..your company claims on its homepage that the commercial air cleaning systems on your website are "solutions" that are able "to eliminate" such indoor air pollutants as "tobacco smoke in bars and [sic] restaurants......"

Yes........ and your point is?

ANR goes on to say:

....tobacco smoke is classified by the U.S. EPA as a Class A carcinogen........

....yes, and so is airborne chromium and nickel, both Class A carcinogens which are given off in welding smoke......why are you so cavalier about the health of factory workers who are exposed to much higher concentrations of carcinogenic smoke than restaurants or bars could ever produce?......oh right, that $1,000,000.00 from RWJF; which owns $5.4 billion dollars in Johnson & Johnson stock...the Nicoderm manufacturer.

ANR continues:

.....Because there is no safe level (of a harmful substance), ventilation systems cannot claim or give the impression that they will protect people......

"Because there is no safe level of a harmful substance".....I love this argument most of all because it proves how scientifically inept these morons are......Do you really want to go there ANR? Because with that mentality you should stop breathing this instant........are you familiar with the harmful substance carbon dioxide? CO2 is fatal to humans at a concentration of 20%, yet with every breath you inhale a concentration of 0.038%......of a "harmful substance" do you still believe your own B.S. premise? Besides OSHA regulates indoor air quality not the EPA......and OSHA's entire existence is determining safe levels of "harmful substances" in thousands of airborne and otherwise, compounds.....man made and naturally occurring.

With the multi-millions of dollars supplied to you from RWJF have you ever considered hiring a scientist?

And finally ANR says:

.......American Non-Smokers Rights respectfully requests that you cease running these misleading advertisements that state, or create the perception to the general public.........

....hmmmm, I'll take that into consideration.................Global Air Filtration Inc. respectfully requests that you drop dead.......

Does ANR's tactic ever work? Well apparently, it does, they enclosed a list of the biggest air filtration manufacturers who all basically cowered to the Nicoderm funded bullies. These manufacturers give apologetic responses...

".......nowhere do we claim our product removes 100% of airborne hazards....."

(our product is shit don't even bother to buy our aircleaner) is the capitulation demanded by ANR and received by these litigation wary air cleaning companies......Are you kidding me?

I am more incensed at these non-profits now more than ever, they receive $200,000,000.00 + from the pharmaceutical nicotine industry to ban smoking and push the drug manufacturers' product....Nicoderm.....On the way, they decimate the tobacco industry, the hospitality industry, and now they're going after the air filtration industry........these arrogant non-profits parade around as though they're godlike and the affected companies, politicians and the general public gives them complete control - carte blanche......................I say no more......you want to destroy my life and my livelihood Robert Wood Johnson you come meet with me in person......stop sending your worthless scientifically inept pawns .......the non-profits to attempt to bully us around.....

At the next smoking ban attempt, be a man about it, send Robert Wood Johnson IV in person, or RWJF to the capitol with a check to lobby the politicians directly......better yet, let Johnson & Johnson company and the Nicoderm marketing department be on the front lines to pay our politicians personally for your smoking ban legislation..........stop hiding behind these non-profits, they're morons. You give me $200,000,000.00 and I'll get the job done properly......first thing I'd do is hide that St. Louis Park Health Department study which proves secondhand smoke is 150 times safer than OSHA requires.

Not to mention the American Cancer Society air quality testing which proves secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA indoor air workplace regulations.

UPDATE: A former board member of American Non-Smokers Rights, Dr. Michael Siegel also takes issue with ANR's recent tactics.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

It's curious to me how the Star & Sickle........

.....will cover one side of the issue.....and not the other. Even when an unsubstantiated rumor is leveled.

On my way to 1280 AM The Patriot radio station to be a guest with Curt Johnson on David Strom's show, I picked up a copy of the Star & Sickle, delighted to see David Strom & the Taxpayers League featured in a front page Metro section story regarding the smoking ban.

Kerri Gordon, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT), said the league's positions represent "a step backward for public health."

"We're not sure if they receive funding from tobacco companies and not sure what their motivation is," Gordon said. "But science tells us what works to reduce smoking and tobacco use, and the positions taken by the Taxpayers League are in conflict with what the science tells us."

I can't speak for the Taxpayers League, but speaking of inappropriately accepting money, which compromises an organization's position on an issue, I wonder if Mr. Gordon is troubled by the $200,000,000.00+ given to the American Lung, American Cancer, American Non-Smoker's Rights, AMA, U of M, U of Pittsburgh, etc. by the Nicoderm interests like RWJF & Johnson & Johnson Company; to fund and coordinate smoking ban legislation?

The frustrating thing is that I have provided the "RWJF funding for smoking ban legislation" to all the media outlets, including the Star & Sickle for months, KSTP even edited it out of an interview I provided them. This is just another indication of the media bias against the politically incorrect side of the issue.

And as far as "what the science tells us", the only uncompromising (not RWJF funded) air quality test conducted, was by the city of St. Louis Park, MN. The results show secondhand smoke concentrations are 150 times lower (safer than) OSHA requires.

Let's review............

Two independent government labs measured air quality for the secondhand smoke trace element nicotine* and obtained the following results. (Their purpose was to prove how hazardous secondhand smoke is, however the results prove quite the contrary).

St. Louis Park, MN. Environmental Health Dept, as well as the California EPA tested air quality for nicotine* levels in the identical manner.

SLP results were 1 - 33 micrograms/ cu. M. in other words 500 - 15 times safer than OSHA requires; the median reading was 152 times safer than OSHA requirements. (measurement of indoor air quality in all bars/ restaurants which allowed smoking in 2004 before smoking bans were in place)

CA EPA results 0.01 - 5 micrograms / cu. M. in other words 50,000 - 100 times safer than OSHA requires (measurement of outdoor air quality in smoking areas) results are at bottom of pg. 3 hyperlink.

OSHA permissible exposure limit level for nicotine* is 0.5 milligrams / cu. M which equals 500 micrograms / cu. M

* (As per air quality researchers) Nicotine is the only unique or "trace" chemical in secondhand smoke. If you measured for formaldehyde, the carpet and other interior sources of formaldehyde would corrupt the test result, fomaldehyde is formed naturally in our atmosphere due to photochemical oxidation. Benzene is given off from burning foods in the kitchen or diesel exhaust outdoors so again a false reading would be obtained. Therefore, nicotine is the ideal chemical to measure for to determine secondhand smoke concentrations in the air. And then our comparison to OSHA guidelines is the logical manner in which to determine if secondhand smoke levels pose a health hazard, as you can see they do not.

Update 2010, additional AQ tests prove secondhand smoke "health hazard" claims are bogus:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-st-louis-aq-study-published-by.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/11/johns-hopkins-air-quality-testing-of.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/04/bmj-published-air-quality-test-results.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/02/air-quality-testing-and-secondhand.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/03/british-medical-journal-who-conclude.html