John, Judy E.
Osdene, Thomas Stafford, Ph.D.
This 1982 Philip Morris (PM) memo was written after PM's Chief Executive Officer (Hugh Cullman) asked Thomas Osdene (Director of PM's research department) to investigate the biological effects of smokeless tobacco, and report back. After researching the literature regarding smokeless tobacco, Osdene wrote back to Cullman (in the cover memo for this report) saying, "I believe the correlation between use of [smokeless tobacco] and oral cancer is quite strong..." (PM Bates No. 2001207640).
The body of the report states,
"Retrospective surveys have implicated snuff as a major risk factor in oral cancer particularly in females. The geographic distribution of this cancer correlates directly with geographical areas of widespread snuff use. The most conclusive studies have shown that approximately 90% of the women in the rural Southeastern United States who develop cancers of the buccal mucosa are snuff users."
* Histopathological studies have shown that snuff use is associated with a distinctive verrucose squamous carcinoma of the buccal cavity.
Thus this memo shows that in 1982 Philip Morris knew the extent of the carcinogenic threat chewing tobacco posed to users. (The company did not manufacture chewing tobacco.) They also were aware that nicotine-dependent people commonly used chewing tobacco as a substitute for smoking.