Toxicology Forum
The Toxicology Forum was a spurious organisation which served as a conference organiser and science-front for food, tobacco, alcohol and chemical companies which had problems with health and environmental concerns about their products. It was directly linked to the International Life Sciences Institute by the shared leadership of Alex Malaspina It also had links to the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) and the Chemical Sources Association Inc. The tobacco industry had a direct interest in FEMA since these substances were potential carcinogens when added to tobacco.
Alex Malaspina was employed at this time by the Coca Cola corporation, although he appears to have been working full-time on the International Life Sciences Institute and the Toxicology Forum.
The Toxicology Forum was incorporated in 1975, and it had what it claimed as a "Faculty" which consisted of members drawn from academic institutions, the various government departments and ministries associated with Health and Welfare, and from the production, R&D, and health-research sides of major corporations. This mix gave it the credibility it needed to be an effective propaganda tool for the companies which funded its activities.
Documents & Timeline
1983 Feb 21-23: Winter meeting of the Toxicology Forum at Stouffer's National Center Hotel in Arlington VA. The Toxicology Forum contact was Ellen Swoff, and the address given was, Suite 600, 900 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington DC http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/swq35d00/pdf
- [Note: This was also the address of the Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association and the street address also matched the prominent corporate lawyers, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering]
1984 Feb 20The attendance list at the Toxicology Forum's annual Winter meeting. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/rlvx0113
- [A large number of known corrupted scientists working for the tobacco industry are on this list.]
1986 Feb 17 Notes taken by a Lorillard scientist on the speeches given at the annual winter Toxicology Forum. It is headed: "Threshold or Regulation: and De Minimis Risk." New theories, and a new semi-scientific 'expert' field of Risk Assessment and Risk Management were being developed at about this time, and the tobacco industry was keen to utilize these concepts as a way or minimising the political threat from adverse health research findings.
The Risk Assessment phase consisted of:
- Hazard Identification
- Dose-Response Relationship
- Exposure Assessment
- Risk Charaterisation.
The Lorillard scientist has noted under "Hazard Identification" the names of the two main organisations which gave them the most problems: the IARC (International Agency for Research into Cancer) and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) -- not, as you would expect, notes about toxic substances.
His thinking about these, and his notes on the other Risk Analysis steps also shows that he is looking for scientific loopholes, not for solutions. [It depends on your mindset!] https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/rqdk0063
1999 Sept 16: The Science & Regulation division of the British-American Tobacco (BAT) company had expenditure details and a budget forecast for the following year. These figures are well below the previous outlays of this division. Notable line items were:
- WHO Project - this had a budget allocation for consultants of £149K
- The junk-science think-tank European Science and Environment Forum was to get £118K (other funding hidden)
- Steven J Milloy of TASSC was listed to receive £57K [Note he also ran the Citizens for the Integrity of Science think tank (Below)
- Professor Deepak Lai was getting £36K for various Economics papers on WHO and World Bank projects
- Smoking & Health - spent £ 239K, mostly on "Commissioning new reviews of science".
- Statistician Peter N Lee was funded £45K for one project, £44K for maintaining a database, and £18K for two book projects
- The Canadian scam artist, John Luik was being paid £18K as a final payment on his 'Plain Packaging Project', and another £30,000 for a Book on Formula 1 racing.
- Corrupt scientist Gio B Gori and his Health Policy Center were to get £22K for one project, and another £40K for working on the [GEP]] project and the Toxicology Forum.
- Francis JC Roe was owed three amounts via Roe Byfiekt (??) (also a Graeme Roe)
- Professor Ian Hindmarch's £4,000 fees were paid via '"Psychopharma
- One of the Witorsch brothers (probably Philip) was to be paid £31K via the CEHHT.
- Think Tank Programs -- they listed two:
- Social Affairs Unit - the "Corporation Under Siege" project had been allocated £ 9K. + a subscription of £5K
- Social Market Foundation - the "Pleasure product" project had been also allocated £ 9K.
- Product Issues
- General consultancies had been allocated £36,900
- Paper on rights, moderation and mortality - £ 39,000
- Weinberg Group were putting together a think tank on ingredients for BAT outlay of £ 9,000. Also budgeted for South America £4K
- Understanding ETS had roadshows and people employed to criticise the WHO, for a budget of £ 51,700
- Public Smoking & Health Policy
- Risk Assessment in the EU and Asia-Pacific had budgets of £ 160K
- The think-tank Citizens for the Integrity of Science was to receive £ 44,600 (run by Steve Milloy of TASSC)
- Marketing Freedoms (right to advertise and promote cigarettes)
- International Advertising Association (IAA) received membership and 'programme support' payments of £130K
- World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) received membership and 'programme support' payments of £60K
- International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) received membership and 'programme support' payments of £60K
https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/mrch0206
