Fire-Safe Cigarettes in Texas

H.B. 2935, signed into law on July 16, 2007, requires that by January 1, 2010, all cigarettes sold in the state of Texas have to be fire-safe.  The State Fire Marshal’s Office, Texas Department of Insurance, is in charge of all rulemaking, certifications and investigations relating to fire-safe cigarettes.

According to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities in the United States, killing 700 to 900 people per year.  H.B. 2935 is designed to reduce the loss of life, injury and property damage by requiring that all cigarettes sold in the state of Texas meet fire-safety performance standards. 

According to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, a fire-safe cigarette is a cigarette that self-extinguishes if it is left unattended or is not actively being smoked.  Manufacturers create fire-safe cigarettes by wrapping cigarettes with two or three thin bands of less-porous paper. The bands of less-porous paper act as a “speed bump” that slows down the burning of a cigarette, causing it to self-extinguish. 

R.J. Reynolds to produce only Fire-Safe Cigarettes

Resources

Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes

Fire-Safer Cigarettes Study: The Effect Of The New York State Cigarette Fire Safety Standard On Ignition Propensity, Smoke Toxicity, And The Consumer Market

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