RJ Reynolds
Memorandum to the File:. A Meeting Was Held at the Rockefeller University to Develop A Position That Might Be Taker Regarding the Canadian Study of Passive Smoking Which Was Prepared by A Group of Scientists Unider the Leadership of Professor Spitzer of the University of Toronto, Canada.
Fields
- Type
- LETTER
- Named Person
- Rockefeller Univ
- Spitzer, W.O.
- Univ, O.F. Toronto
- Ludwig Maximilians Univ
- Uberla, K.
- Butler, W.
- Seitz, F.
- Fyock, J.
- Rjr
- Site
- R&D
- Biochem Biobehavioral
- Hayes Aw
- Vp
- Attachment
- 8103 -8108
- Request
- Minnesota
- 1rfp4
- 1rfp41
- 1rfp26
- 1rfp28
- Copied
- Dimarco, G.R.
- Box
- Rjrc4204
- Author
- Hayes, A.W.
- Date Loaded
- 27 Feb 1998
- UCSF Legacy ID
- svu04d00
Document Images
R.J.Reyno(ds Tobacco Company
Winstan-Salem, N.C. 27102
(919) 741-5000
nJn
October 19, 1989
Memorandum to the file:
A meeting was held at The Rockefeller University to develop a
position that might be taken regarding the Canadian study of
passive smoking which was prepared by a group of scientists under
the leadership of Professor Spitzer of the University of Toronto,
Canada. In attendance were Dr. K. Ueberla, Director, Institute
for Medical Information, Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the
Ludwick Maximillion University in Munich, West Germany; Bill
Butler, a statistical consultant; Fred Seitz and me. The meeting
was initiated by Jim Fyock on behalf of RJR.
We spent several hours discussing Professor Ueberla's position
relating to environmental tobacco smoke and his position relating
to the Canadian study in general. From the beginning it was
Profess6-r Ueberla's position that he would not criticize the
study in public; however, he felt that a private discussion
regarding his opinions might be useful.
Professor Ueberla stated that he had been only marginally
involved and had taken part in only one meeting. He did say that
one of his former colleagues had been more involved and had
attended several of the meetings of the working group. He also
said that from the beginning and even now he would limit himself
to ETS and cancer. Dr. Ueberla spent a day with Professor
Spitzer during which time they agreed upon a statement which
basically said that the data were insufficient to draw any
conclusions relating ETS and cancer. This statement was altered
by the working group and did not appear in the final document as
agreed upon. Professor Ueberla is in agreement with us that this
places the document in a precarious position. He also feels that
the methodology is flawed.

Memorandum to the File
October 19, 1989
Page 2
We talked about whether or not it was advisable for Professor
Ueberla to try to get the statement changed; it was the consensus
that if we got the statement changed that it would lose its
validity because of the extremely poor methodology upon which the
data were evaluated. Professor Ueberla agrees with Dr. Butler's
evaluation of the lack of appropriate use of the methods that the
working group state were used. Professor Ueberla is going to
call Spitzer and suggest that his name be withdrawn from the
document; if Spitzer wants his name to remain on the document
Ueberla will ask to write a minority report on the cancer issue
only. Ueberla's desire is to have his name removed and have no
document either as an amendment or as a letter to the editor.
Overall, it was a good meeting; Ueberla seems to be a reasonable
individual and he is someone that we should keep in mind for
future ETS needs.
AWH:jp
cc: Dr. G. Robert Di Marco
