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Welcome to the Campaign for

Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes

Cigarette fires are the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the home. In 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 82 deaths, 1,064 injuries and 3,000 fires per year in accidental home fires were caused by smoking materials, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Every three days someone dies in a fire caused by a cigarette. A significant proportion of the devastation could be prevented through EU legislation to introduce a fire safety standard for cigarettes in the UK.

The RIP Coalition is campaigning for fire safer cigarettes to help reduce this needless death and devastation by cigarette fires.

RIP Law to cover 99.8% of US population

From January 1st 2010, 11 more US states will require all cigarettes sold to conform to the Reduced Ignition Propensity (RIP) standard. Laws come into force next month in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia with Mississippi and Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio following by the end of the year.

Missouri and South Dakota implement their legislation a year later, leaving only one state, Wyoming, without legislation to protect smokers and their families from the old style cigarettes. Cigarettes had been the number one cause of preventable fire deaths across the US until the State of New York became the first to implement RIP legislation in 2004 against fierce tobacco industry resistance. Canada was the first country to introduce RIP Cigarettes nationwide while Australia announced in April this year that they will fast track their legislation, which will now come into force in September next year.

Tobacco manufacturers don't sell firesafer cigarettes in the UK where cigarettes continue to be the largest cause of domestic fire deaths causing up to 3000 fires per year. The European Union is currently developing a standard to be introduced across Europe however Finland has decided not to wait and will introduce its own regulations from April next year.

Who will be developing the standard to make cigarette “fire safer” at European level? Fire Safety professionals or the tobacco industry?

7 December 2008

The standardisation body responsible for developing the standards for Europe needs to give appropriate consideration to the ASTM E 2187 standard in its most recent form and in accordance with the latest and most stringent version at international level. So why is TC126 involved? (International standardization body controlled by the tobacco industry). NGOS demand that the mandate be given to TC92 , the International standardization body controlled by Fire Safety technicians.

Why are “fire safer” cigarettes important for public health? Fire-safer cigarettes are a proven, practical, and effective way to eliminate the risk of cigarette-ignited home fires. Indeed, cigarettes are responsible for one third of fire deaths and most non fatal injuries in most European countries . The victims are often from low income households and include non-smokers, babies, older people, children, adults and fire fighters . There is ample evidence that “fire safer” cigarettes work : they were introduced in New York City in 2004 and, in 22 US States and Canada . Since their introduction on the market, “fire safer” cigarettes have reduced home fires and saved thousands of lives.

What is the situation at European level? In November 2007, EU Member States agreed on the introduction of a pan-European standard to produce “fire-safer” cigarettes . To develop this European standard, a mandate was given to CEN, the European Committee for Standardization. The mandate recommends using the ASTM E 2187 Standard as a reference . However, CEN had no appropriate technical body to deal with this and ISO, the International Standards Organization, was asked to develop the standard on its behalf.

What is the situation at Member States Level? On the 11th of November 2008, Finland’s Parliament approved the proposal to regulate the ignition propensity of cigarettes. The new requirements follow the examples of Canada, Australia and several U.S. States, using ASTM E2187-04 standard. Requirements will come into force on the 1 April 2010 and from then on, only RIP-cigarettes will be legally sold in Finland. In parallel, the UK is also developing a national standard .

What is happening at European Level? CEN accepted the mandate and a joint group between tobacco and safety experts was set up at ISO level. It is our understanding that the tobacco experts will attempt to slow down the standardization process and point to other less proven standards than ASTM E 2187 , . What can be done: According to the mandate, all cigarettes sold throughout the European Union should be self-extinguishing by 2011 . The EU RIP Alliance should monitor the progress of ISO and ask that the standards adopted in Finland (based on ASTM 2187) be used as the reference for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

For more information, please visit the SFP website on http://www.smokefreepartnership.eu/Public-hearing-on-reduced-ignition

There is no time to loose: It is important to have a European standard as quickly as possible, as we know it will save lives.

Source: European Public Health Alliance

 

 

Tobacco Industry claims

To view our document with the rebuttals from claims made by the tobacco industry, click here. French, German, Hungarian, Polish and Spanish versions are also available.

To join the RIP coalition as a supporting organisation, please read the aims and objectives as stated in the mission statement.

If you agree to our mission statement and would like to support the RIP coalition you can sign up here.
   
email info@firesafercigarettes.org.uk