Okay, I know on the surface that asking a question like, "Can you trust the tobacco companies" is a little like saying can you trust a politician. We all know the answer. But lets just say, for the sake of argument, that we don't already know the answer. Is there any compelling documentation or proof that tobacco has acted in their own self interest in the face of overwhelming evidence that their products cause harm? I know, I know, just bare with me.
There is this thing in cigarette smoke called radioactive polonium 210 [(210)Po]. Yeah, it sounds nasty doesn't it? So if it's radioactive then does it do bad stuff when inhaled into the lungs? Intuition tells me yes, but lets continue. An article in Nicotine and Tobacco Research analyzed the internal secret documents that were made available by the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998. Wow, that sounded nefarious. Anyway, what did these documents tell us about (210)Po?
It looks like the industry was aware of this radioactive substance way back in 1959. Hello, is this thing on? That's 1959, 52 years ago. These secret documents also state that Big Tobacco knew of the potential for cancerous growth in smokers' lungs and estimated long-term radiation absorption doses emitted from the cigarette smoke. The amazingly accurate calculations were that inhaled tobacco would cause roughly 130 lung cancer deaths per 1,000 smokers per year. That's an astounding 13% death rate among smokers for just lung cancer alone. Still want that cigarette? But wait, that's not even the half of it, there's more.
In 1980, the industry discovered that you could acid wash the tobacco leaves which would effectively remove the (210)Po. Sounds great, right? Oh, but there is this little problem with acid washing. It does have an unwanted side-affect. You see, it ionized the nicotine, thereby effectively reducing its absorption into the brain. Since they knew nicotine was the hook that kept smokers coming back for more, the industry - as a whole - avoided the process. In other words, they would rather make money than save lives. I think they call this "blood money".
If this became known back in 1980 and then public in 1998, then why isn't acid washing currently performed on the tobacco leaves? Good question! It seems like a causal death rate in excess of 10% would be enough for conscience-minded people to take action and begin initiating the process of removing (210)Po. If the industry doesn't do it, then why, at the very least, doesn't the government make them? The whole idea of acting in the "public's best interest" and all. A question to ask your congressman or woman. Oh, but I'm reminded of how I started this post...you know, about "who you can trust".
So isn't it time you, quite literally, put down your "death stick" and joined the millions of people who have quit smoking?
