WARNING: This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
    There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
    Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.

Frank Lanau was the nominal head of the Association for Research into Indoor Air (ARIA) created in London in February 1988 by Covington & Burling , the corporate lawyers for Philip Morris . This was the company's main 'indoor air' initiative in the United Kingdom — designed to counter adverse publicity about 'passive smoking' and generate favorable scientific comment on ETS issues.

ARIA then created a 'true scientific organisation' (also secretly funded by Philip Morris, which they registered in Switzerland under the name Indoor Air International (IAI). This organization ran scientific conference, lobbied politicians and medical researchers, and had its own newsletter and 'peer-reviewed scientific journal. It was, of course, little more than a public relations program; it had no scientific research components. However it was extremely effective at fogging up the intellectual environment for many years.

ARIA and IAI were designed to provide cover for scientists working surreptitiously for the tobacco industry, and ARIA was used to launder payments made to academics, etc. by way of Swiss bank accounts and to act as a 'buffer' for tobacco funds being paid to academics at various universities. Covington & Burling acted as the cut-out between the industry and the scientists to allow the members to retain the appearance of "independence." and be able to legally claim "never to have been paid by the tobacco industry."

The powers behind the group (apart from Philip Morris and their lawyers) were the industry consultants Professor Roger Perry, George Leslie, and Francis CJ Roe, with the occupational hygenist Frank Lanau acting as front-man.

With Frank Lanau, they also set up other industry fronts to fund indoor air quality seminars, research, and publications (EGIL and ARTIST) and they jointly ran an "international scientific organisation" based in Switzerland, the Indoor Air International (IAI), which ran seminars and had a regular newsletter. Philip Morris was behind all of these operations.

Later, When it became fairly obvious that the tobacco industry was funding IAI, it metamorphosed into the International Society for the Built Environment (ISBE), which also had its own scientific program of conferences, and its own scientific journal.

1988 Feb: [Department of Justice note Aug 16 2004] This lists:
ARIA: ARIA was created by Covington & Burling as a Philip Morris indoor air initiative in the United Kingdom. It was designed to generate tobacco-favorable scientific comment on ETS issues, and as such, it was little more than a public relations program. It was not a scientific research operation.

    Although ARIA was funded by the industry, Covington & Burling acted as a buffer between the industry and the scientists to allow the members to retain the appearance of "independence."

Indoor Air International: The group was headed by industry consultants George Leslie, Francis Roe, and Frank Lanau, who set up another industry front to fund indoor air quality seminars, research, and publications such as Indoor Air International (IAI).
    A European front organization made up of industry consultants that acted on behalf of the tobacco industrv on ETS and indoor air quality issues . IAI Scientists were paid through, and received direction from Covington & Burling. IAI issued its own newsletter and published it's own scientific journal which was utilized to publish the works of the various industry consultants . IAI later became the International Society of the Built Environment or ISBE.

1990 Apr: AIR MAIL THE INAUGURAL NEWSLETTER OF IAI by Frank Lunau (President).

" [T]he objectives of the Association are to encourage and extend knowledge and understanding in the areas of indoor air quality, indoor air pollution, building ventilation and health, comfort and efficiency in relation to indoor environments".