Jump to full article: CBC News (ca), 2009-10-14
Intro: Imperial Tobacco Canada destroyed documents related to the dangers of smoking. (Canadian Press)Imperial Tobacco Canada destroyed up to 60 early studies that linked cigarettes to addiction and carcinogens, according to a review published Wednesday in the online Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The internal studies, done from 1967 to 1984, were destroyed in 1992 on orders from head office at British American Tobacco in the United Kingdom to avoid "exposing the company to liability or embarrassment," the authors of the review say.
The studies were later uncovered in British American Tobacco files, which began to be made available through disclosure during a U.S. trial in 1998, Dr. David Hammond of the University of Waterloo said in an interview.
Hammond said he and his team undertook the review because they knew the studies existed and involved high-quality research into cigarette design and the health effects of smoking.
Jump to full article » |