EU wants safer cigarettes to reduce fires

A coalition of public health groups, fire services, burn patients and an anti-smoking group has called for new regulations for safer cigarettes in Europe to reduce deaths from house fires.

Reduced ignition propensity (RIP) cigarettes that are designed to go out before burning to the end have been introduced in the United States and Canada but the tobacco industry has not launched similar products in Europe.

The RIP Coalition in Britain has joined forces with the EU RIP Alliance to push for new legislation to introduce safer cigarettes which they say could prevent an estimated 1,300 deaths in house fires caused cigarettes each year.

"Cigarette-started fires cause death, disfigurement and distress, which could be prevented by simple design changes. If the industry won't introduce the necessary changes itself, it should be regulated, just like other unsafe products," said Deborah Arnott of the anti-smoking charity ASH (Action on Smoking and Health).

RIP cigarettes have concentric bands of paper at the top of the cigarettes to restrict oxygen to the burning end. If the cigarette isn't puffed it is designed to go out.

Tobacco industry documents show the technology to produce safer cigarettes has been available for 20 years but it has not been widely adopted, according to the coalition.

The RIP coalition and the EU RIP Alliance want the European Union to introduce a RIP standard for cigarettes across Europe.

The EU General Safety Directive regulatory committee is meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

But a spokesman for the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association in Britain, a trade association for tobacco companies, said the industry is not convinced RIP cigarettes reduce fire risk.

"We remain to be convinced that they have had any meaningful effect," a spokesman told Reuters.

He added the industry is also concerned RIP cigarettes could increase risky behaviour so smokers will be less concerned and take fewer precautions with burning cigarettes. Any change to the manufacturing process will also incur costs, he added.

London Fire Commissioner Ken Knight said the standard has been shown to work in the United States and Canada and could lead to a big fall in deaths due to cigarette fires.

"Far too many people still die or are seriously injured every year in avoidable fires involving cigarettes. As far as fire and rescue is concerned, the sooner the new standard comes in, the better," he said in a statement.