Regulating Cigarettes for Fire Safety

Abstract

Cigarettes are the leading cause of residential fire fatalities in the United States, resulting in 700 to 900 deaths per year. Annual property damage is approximately $400 million, and the total annual economic loss is estimated to be nearly $4 billion including health care, lost productivity and pain and suffering. Despite these costs, cigarette manufacturers have not significantly reduced the ignition propensity of their products even after conducting extensive research into the matter. In response, several states have mandated reduced ignition performance standards for cigarettes. Section I of this article reviews the immense public harm resulting from cigarette-caused fires. Section II examines the regulatory structure, feasibility, compliance and implementation of fire safe cigarette legislation in the United States. Section III discusses litigation involving cigarette-caused fires. Section IV examines industry rhetoric and its stance against voluntarily and comprehensively reducing the ignition propensity of cigarettes. Section IV highlights current policy concerns and the movement towards a national standard through either state or national legislation.