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Surely this sort of thing isn't a surprise. I'm a smoker. I know it's poison.
This is a seperate issue on top of the injurious effects of smoking. The point is that tobacco companies were well aware that their continued use of phosphate based fertilizers high in radium was resulting in radioactivity in the end product.
They were also acutely aware that this radiation would contribute to cancer over time. There are simple methods by which this could have been avoided but they were concerned it would reduce the addictiveness of their products.
They killed people on purpose. That's pretty messed up.
Tobacco is a plant that happens to be highly effective at uptake and storage of heavy metals from the soil. You have to be super careful how and where you grow it, and with what fertilizer.
It's more that tobacco companirs have put out stuff such as the 'Frank Statement' that stuff wasn't dangerous when they definitely knew. The CEOs also testified before congress that smoking wasn't dangerous then recanted later.
It's more that congress hasn't done anything when they get lied to. Should throw those fuckers in prison and bar them from ever owning or running a company again.
Yeah, of course tobacco is poison but they still have a duty to minimize the damage it does as much as they can
A duty to minimize the damage to their brand? I mean sure, but only to their shareholders.
They also have a duty to their fellow countrymen not to kill them, but that's never stopped them.