Tobacco Documents Online

. ' F. f ' k REC.r-- fV ED PHILIP MORRIS INCORPORATED ~ ~ 0E` INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE "A'-Y i U M4 1875 Eye Str..t, N.W., Suite 800, Washinpton, D.C. 2 To: From: Subject: • DISTRIBUTION • Amy Millman /~ • Activity Regarding Indoor Air ouality , jf2_ FRANK E. RESNIK Date: December 5, 1984 Numerous recent reports indicate that there is considerable activity regarding indoor air quality occuring in a number of Federal agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency. These activities are in the form of a variety of studies, some in the planning stages and others currently being conducted. Most significantly, it appears that passive cigarette smoke as a principal air contaminant is becoming a point of commonality throughout all of these efforts. This is of considerable importance to our industry because it appears that these discu'ssions and studies of indoor air are likely to become major, highly visible fora for the condemnation of public smoking, and carry the potential for enabling industry opponents to stir up the issue in a dramatic fashion through the national media. I have been informed that several members of the EPA Air and Radiation staff, including James Repace, who is employed as a policy analyst in the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, is the author of a study on the effect of passive smoking which was the subject of a recent CBS news report, and his superior, Joseph Cannon, are very sympathetic to the anti-smoking crusade. I was -also informed that there have been several meetings between Mr. Cannon, Surgeon General Koop and the Department of Energy and Office of Smoking and Health officials to discuss areas of mutual interest, including passive smoking. I have been unable to confirm st atement that was made by m source identi ying both epace and Cannon as members of GASP. The purpose of this memo is to review certain evidence which shows that even without a clear mandate to study indoor air quality, EPA is proceeding with activity in this area. It is important to note that whereas"EPA indoor air activists allegedly had EPA Administrator Ruckelshaus' blessings, the Office of Management and Budget has consistently opposed indoor air funding provisions within authorizations bills claiming that the issue was "not an appropriate Federal responsibility." Now that Ruckelshaus has resigned as EPA Administrator, (effective January 5, 1985), it can be expected that OMB will have more control over the activities within this agency.

Page 2 The following is a brief summary of indoor air-related activities occuring during 1984: January 1984 - The Administration reactivated the interagency Committee on indoor air. June 1984 - Congress appropriated $2 million for indoor air quality research. $2 million was also appropriated for this purpose in 1983. It is important to note that Congress failed to pass a bill that would grant EPA the actual authority to conduct research into indoor air quality. September 1984 - Consumer Federation of America launches national campaign on indoor air pollution requesting that long-term studies be conducted to assess the health effects from exposure to certain substances in indoor environments. After receiving much pressure from interest groups, CPSC agrees to add ind'oor air to their list of FY 1986 priorities. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has asked EPA for $75 million to conduct a workshop on passive smoking. The toxicological effects of passive smoking, will be the topic and it is anticipated that scientists with toxicological expertise will be asked to participate. NAS would also like to do an additional study which would review the epidemiological findings that have surfaced since the completion of NAS's comprehensive study on indoor air in 1982. The Office of Technology Assessment (an arm of Congress) releases report entitled "Potential Office Hazards and Controls" (author: Dr. Robert Arndt of the University of Wisconsin's Department of Preventive Medicine) which discusses indoor air pollution in tightly insulated buildings, the severity of exposures and their health consequences. In response to the report's findings, Representative Oakar (D-Ohio) has asked the Government Accounting Office (GAO) to study the adequacy of federal funding for such research. October 1984 - EPA Office of Air and Radiation institutes new voluntary program in indoor air quality. The purpose of this program is to "link public and private sector through voluntary partnership initiatives to foster healthy indoor air environments." Their goal is to develop a r

Page 3 program within EPA that falls somewhere in between a research-only approach and the more intrusive federal regulatory approach. A presentation was made to EPA officials and the go ahead to proceed has been given. October 1984 - Joseph Cannon, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation requests that the EPA Carcinogen Assessment Group (CAG) review a paper written by Repace and Lowrey on the risk of lung cancer due to passive smoking. The review found that the study relied upon questionable methodology (including the use of data from the Hirayama study). This study has been the subject of a CBS news report as well as numerous articles in newspapers, including one in the December 6 issue of the Bureau of National Affairs' Daily Report for Executives. Peter Preuss, former health sciences director at CPSC, moves to EPA to work for the Office of Health and Environmental Assessment (OHEA). He does not have direct authority for any indoor air related programs BUT OHEA has the responsibility for reviewing any scientific studies (e.g. they reviewed the Repace article). It is no secret that Mr. Preuss supports making indoor air research a Federal priority. -December 1984 - EPA's Policy Office has prepared a "status report of comparative risks across EPA's programs." The report which was recently presented to EPA's Deputy Administrator Alvin Alm, identifies indoor air pollutants as the the cause of the most numerous deaths. Radon has been associated with 1000 - 20,000 deaths per year and', using the Repace data, passive smoking is associated with 500 - 5000 deaths. By comparison, leaded gas causes 5000 deaths and air toxics cause between 1600 and 2000 deaths. January 1985 - The Interagency Committee on Indoor Air is planning to participate in a workshop on indoor air quality that is being sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) in January 1985. I am told that Donald Ehreth, Director of Environmental Processes and Effects, will speak at the workshop.

Page 4 The Interagency Committee on Indoor Air will send a report to Congress (House Appropriations Committee) during the first week in January, which will outline a strategy for coordinating indoor air research within the federal DISTRIBUTION: Thomas Ahrensfeld Stephen Bull Hugh Cuilman Alexander Holtzman 1/"Frank Resnik Gregory Scott Stanley Scott Guy Smith AJM