Child-Resistant Lighters Protect Young Children

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Child-Resistant Lighters Protect Young Children

CPSC Document #5021

Children under 5 years old playing with lighters cause more than 5,000 residential fires a year, resulting in approximately 150 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Approximately 30 million households own one or more working lighters. Lighters are frequently used for purposes other than lighting smoking materials and they are often left with-in a child's reach.

Although children as young as 2 years old are capable of operating lighters, the majority of the children who start fires by playing with lighters are ages 3 and 4. At these ages, children are curious about fire but don't understand the danger. Typically, when children start a fire, they will leave the room without telling anyone about the fire.

CPSC set a mandatory safety standard that requires disposable lighters and certain novelty lighters to be child-resistant. The standard covers more than 95 percent of the 600 million lighters purchased in the United States each year.

The standard became effective in summer 1994.

Parents and caregivers are urged to:

Purchase child-resistant lighters. Remember, these lighters are child resistant, not childproof.
Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children.
Never use a lighter as a source of amusement for children. That may encourage children to think of lighters as a toy and try to light one on their own.

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