TOBACCO

Philip Morris Says Chemical That Prompted Recall Was Harmless: The New York-based cigarette, food and beer giant said the amount of the contaminating chemical cited in its unprecedented recall of 8 billion cigarettes was harmless, although it did have an unpleasant taste and odor. Philip Morris Cos. said only trace amounts of methyl isothiocyanate, or MITC, “were and can be found in some of our filters,” even less than previously estimated. The only source of MITC in the filters the company could find was thione, a common packaging ingredient used by supplier Westvaco Corp. Westvaco, a New York-based maker of paper products and chemicals, said that although there is nothing harmful about the levels of MITC that thione can produce as it deteriorates, the company has switched preservatives.