Semiannual Summary of Analytical Investigations on Customer Complaints

This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

Semiannual Summary of Analytical Investigations on Customer Complaints (Activity: Socp 7a25)

This 1994 Philip Morris (PM) confidential inter-office correspondence reports on contaminants found in PM's cigarettes after investigation of consumer complaints.

Contaminants found in the cigarettes included machine oils (used to lubricate the cigarette manufacturing machines), chemicals traceable to rubber bands and rubber manufacturing belts, tax stamp ink solvents, "residual solvents from promotion tags," airborne contamination picked up by cigarettes stored in "inappropriate places" like gas stations and freshly-painted warehouses, waterless hand cleaners, varnishes or lacquers used on the pack, plasticizers and polymers (including those used "as a carriers in insect repellant formulations"), glass fiber, plastic, rubber, and blood.

In the case of the rubber contamination, the paper says, "The complaints covered four brands, three different factory locations, all three shifts and manufacturer over a time span from October 1993 to April, 1994."

Document Date: 20 Jul 1994
Length: 5 pages
Bates No. PM 2057279519/9523
URL: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/sss36e00

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