The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Cigarettes continue to be the single largest igniters of fatal fires in the United States. Each year these fires cause about 800 deaths, 1,800 serious injuries and $400 million in direct property damage. The total cost of these fires exceeds $4 billion annually. The elements are now in place to effect a large reduction in these losses: a standard method for measuring the ignition strength of cigarettes, a first set of regulations that mandate a particular performance level using the measurement method, and commercially available products that satisfy the regulations.

Methods: The focus of this talk is on the first of these. ASTM E2187 is based on extensive research performed under the Cigarette Safety Act of 1984 and the Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1990. The method has been shown to be accurate, repeatable and reproducible. In February 2006, NIST announced Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1082 that consists of a carton of uniform cigarettes especially produced to have low ignition strength.

Results: The tools are in place to facilitate both the development and compliance assurance of commercial cigarettes that are consistent with the new fire safety regulations.