ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, March 29, 1996                 TAG: 9603290083
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: KAREN HILL ASSOCIATED PRESS 

RECALLED SMOKES OK - EXCEPT THEY KILL YOU

PHILIP MORRIS PULLED 8 billion cigarettes last May, but they were no worse than any others.

There was nothing wrong with the 8 billion cigarettes recalled last year by Philip Morris that isn't wrong with all cigarettes, government health investigators said Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated more than 70 complaints from people in 27 states who said they became ill after smoking the cigarettes. They complained of coughing, wheezing, watery eyes and nose and throat irritation.

The cigarettes contained nothing out of the ordinary, said Michael Ericksen, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.

``The single greatest cause of death in this country is lighting organic material and sucking it into your lungs,'' Ericksen said. ``This episode could be characterized as misplaced concern on behalf of Philip Morris - that they acted on a quality control issue that they were concerned about, but failed to act on the obvious health problems associated with smoking.''

Philip Morris said it recalled the 8 billion Marlboros, Virginia Slims and other brands last May because they tasted and smelled bad and because an irritating chemical used in making pesticides, methyl isothiocyanate, turned up in filters.

The CDC said it did find methyl isothiocyanate in the recalled cigarettes, but researchers also found it in Philip Morris cigarettes manufactured after the recall and up to a year before the recall. It also was found in cigarettes from other manufacturers.

``There was no additional problem that we could detect from the contamination,'' Ericksen said.

It's not against the law for the chemical to be in cigarettes, Ericksen said.

Philip Morris initially reported the methyl isothiocyanate was created in very small amounts by contaminants in a material used to strengthen filters. The company later concluded trace amounts of the chemical found in its cigarette filters were absorbed from paperboard packaging materials, said Karen Daragan, a company spokeswoman in New York.

The company switched to a different supplier for the strengthener and hasn't had any more taste or smell problems, Daragan said.

LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines