A Comparative Ignition Propensity Study of Foreign and U.S. Cigarettes Using the NIST Cotton Duck Mockup Ignition Test Method

Abstract

Popular cigarette brands from the U.S. and four European coun tries were tested using the Mockup Ignition Test Method developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the 1990 Fire- Safe Cigarette Act. Only two cigarette brands showed a significant reduction in ignition propen sity by the mockup test. These brands represent the major portion of the Hun garian cigarette market, yet 40% of fire deaths in Hungary are attributed to careless smoking fires. Cigarettes from Austria and the Netherlands showed 100% ignitions in all tests, yet those countries have very low fire death rates and few deaths attributed to careless smoking fires. Most of the U.S. cigarettes exhibited ignition behavior similar to Austrian and Dutch cigarette brands, but a few showed less than 100% ignitions. Ignition test results of cigarettes from Hungary, Austria, and the Nether lands strongly suggest that "reduced" ignition propensity, as measured by the NIST test, does not necessarily translate into reduced fire risk, nor does "fail ure" of the test necessarily indicate an increased fire risk. Other studies have shown that the NIST test represents the ignition behavior of only a fraction of U.S. upholstery fabrics, and is therefore an incomplete test. Cultural habits, fire prevention and education programs, fire awareness, financial consider ations, and building design are factors to consider in evaluation of a country's fire situation.