Times staff writers George White in Los Angeles and John O’Dell in Orange County contributed to this story. supermarket chain, spokeswoman Julie Reynolds said managers expected “all Philip Morris products that have been recalled to be removed from our shelves by evening.” Those that had heard the news, however, quickly began removing the cigarettes from their shelves.Īt the Vons Cos. In turn, retailers were told to quit selling cigarettes in the affected packages immediately, pending visits from Philip Morris salespeople.īy late Friday afternoon in Southern California, not all retailers were aware of the recall. cigarette sales.Ĭonsumers are being asked to return packs of the involved brands to retailers for refunds. The firm reported $11.1 billion in revenue from domestic tobacco sales last year and accounted for nearly 45% of U.S.
Philip Morris will cover the expense from its reserves. So while Philip Morris officials said the company had received no complaints from consumers or retailers, they decided on the voluntary recall Friday after concluding they could not be certain that none of the tainted cigarettes were being offered for sale.Ĭompany officials said the recall involves 36 of the 238 “packings,” or styles, of its cigarettes sold in the United States. But on Thursday the company determined that additional filters also contaminated with MITC did not have a noticeable odor. Initially, the company said, it placed all cigarettes it believed to be affected in storage. We acted quickly, voluntarily and we have no reason to believe this won’t be successful.”Įvidence of the contamination initially turned up May 19, company officials said, when a strange odor was detected in the materials used to make filters. Said Daragan: “This was a freak occurrence. “Are they going to recall all cigarettes because they have nicotine in them?” he asked rhetorically.Ī Philip Morris spokeswoman, Karen Daragan, fired back that “there’s no reason why this should affect the regulation of our product.” Nicotine, Glantz noted, is sometimes used as an insecticide. The warnings, involving a product reviled by public health advocates, struck Glantz as “sort of bizarre.” Even without MITC, he said, “cigarettes already cause eye irritation-it’s well-documented.” Little is known about its toxicity in humans.Īccording to Philip Morris, continued use of cigarettes contaminated with MITC “could result in temporary discomfort, including eye, nose and throat irritation, dizziness, coughing and wheezing.” The company added that “pregnant women and persons suffering from respiratory conditions should avoid exposure” to the chemical.
Scientific references say that in animals, MITC-which is used as a pesticide-causes corneal, liver and kidney damage. Goebel, a lobbyist for Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, a Berkeley-based advocacy group. They should all be recalled, because they give people cancer-even nonsmokers,” said Kevin C. 1 tobacco marketer, the announcement of what industry observers said was the first cigarette recall ever clearly was a huge embarrassment.Īnd it gave public health advocates and other industry critics a chance to make the company the butt of their sharpest barbs. Officials said the number of cigarettes to be destroyed would reach the “low billions” and that the recall could cost the company $200 million.įor New York-based Philip Morris, the world’s No. The company said it had asked retailers to remove from their shelves many lines of its Marlboro, Benson & Hedges, Merit, Virginia Slims and Basic brands, among others. Philip Morris, the tobacco industry giant that long has insisted on the safety of cigarettes, launched a massive recall Friday involving its top-selling brands, saying defective filters could cause dizziness and irritation.
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