View source for Ragnar Rylander

{{Short description|Swedish environmental health researcher}}
{{Infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL}}

'''Ragnar Rylander''' (12 September 1935 – 13 April 2016)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://familj.gp.se/index.html |title=Ragnar Rylander |website=Familj.se |access-date=2019-08-21}}</ref> was a Swedish [[environmental health]] scholar who served as professor and chair of Environmental Medicine at the [[University of Gothenburg]]. He was active in researching the [[health effects of tobacco]] while secretly serving as a consultant to [[Altria Group|Philip Morris]] for many years.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hedley |first=Anthony J. |date=2004-12-15 |title=There is no scope for tobacco funded research in our society |journal=Tobacco Induced Diseases |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=163–166 |doi=10.1186/1617-9625-2-4-163 |issn=1617-9625 |pmc=2691731 |pmid=19566911}}</ref>

== Conflict of interest ==

Two [[tobacco control]] activists, [[Pascal Diethelm]] and Jean-Charles Rielle, co-authored an article asserting that, while he was working at [[Geneva University]], Rylander had engaged in “scientific cheating without precedent” by receiving undisclosed tobacco industry funding for research downplaying the harms of [[passive smoking]]. Rylander subsequently sued Diethelm and Rielle for libel, but in 2004, Rylander lost the case on appeal.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Neroth |first=Pelle |date=September 2004 |title=Tobacco ties |journal=The Lancet |language=en |volume=364 |issue=9438 |pages=925–926 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17042-6|pmid=15366222 |s2cid=5150617 }}</ref> In the same year, Rylander was appointed to the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks of the [[European Commission]], an appointment which proved controversial due to his failure to disclose his ties to the [[tobacco industry]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Simpson |first=David |date=December 2004 |title=European Union: shock at Rylander appointment |journal=Tobacco Control |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=323 |issn=1468-3318 |pmc=1747949 |pmid=15564607}}</ref> In response to criticism of this appointment, Rylander was removed from the Committee soon afterward.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Diethelm |first1=Pascal A |last2=Rielle |first2=Jean-Charles |last3=McKee |first3=Martin |date=January 2005 |title=Links with the tobacco industry |journal=The Lancet |language=en |volume=365 |issue=9455 |pages=211–212 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(05)17731-9|s2cid=54429308 }}</ref> In 2005, he received the "Cockroach of the year" award, a [[mocking award]] handed out by the Swedish [[anti-tobacco]] organization Non-Smoking Generation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Simpson |first=David |date=2006-02-01 |title=Sweden: cockroach of the year |url=https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/15/1/6.2 |journal=Tobacco Control |language=en |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=6 |issn=0964-4563|pmid=16436396 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |language=fr |last1=Malka |first1=Sophie |last2=Gregori |first2=Marco |date=2005 |title=Infiltration : une taupe à la solde de Philip Morris |publisher=Georg éditeur |isbn=9782825709146}}

{{Philip Morris International}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rylander, Ragnar}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Swedish medical researchers]]
[[Category:University of Gothenburg faculty]]
[[Category:Philip Morris USA]]

{{Sweden-academic-bio-stub}}