Philip Morris Pulls Its Witnesses From Indoor Air Quality Hearings

Philip Morris, whose lawyers have grilled witnesses who spoke in favor of tough restrictions on workplace smoking, has pulled out of federal hearings on indoor air quality before its own experts were to take the stand.

The decision angered Department of Labor officials who had wanted to question the cigarette maker’s representatives about its internal studies of tobacco smoke.

In a letter to Labor Department Administrative Law Judge John Vittone on Tuesday, Philip Morris questioned the fairness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration hearings over which Vittone is presiding. The company provided a copy of the letter to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Philip Morris said it was concerned that its witnesses would be cross-examined by lawyers who are representing plaintiffs in product liability claims against the company. It also objected to participation in the hearings by an OSHA staff member on loan from the Environmental Protection Agency and a UC San Francisco scientist OSHA is calling as an expert witness.

Both the OSHA staff member, James Repace, and the scientist, Dr. Stanton Glantz, have studied and written about the effects of environmental tobacco smoke.

The 17-page letter said it was “clear that our oral testimony would neither be received nor examined by OSHA with the requisite impartiality, and as such will not be given.”