In all countries where data is available, cigarettes are the leading cause of fire deaths. In the EU25, at least 1,000 people, including children and older people, are estimated to be killed each year. This estimate is conservative, and do not take account of the economic costs of fires. In the US, property losses from smoking-material fires total hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Innocent lives, injuries and destruction of property could be prevented through the introduction of a fire safety standard for cigarettes; cigarettes would extinguish themselves in most cases when not puffed. These cigarettes are commonly called RIP Cigarettes (Reduced Ignition Propensity cigarettes).
Despite conclusive evidence from New York State which introduced legislation in 2004 that lives have been saved, the tobacco industry is currently arguing against RIP cigarettes because of concerns that they would be sued if fires occurred. This, in the light of the fact that they had the technology for producing “RIP” cigarettes more than 20 years ago.
As more and more governments are pushing the European Union to introduce new standards, enforcing RIP cigarettes across the EU, the European RIP Alliance wants to hasten the trend.
Across Europe, many organisations have already expressed an interest in participating in a European campaign to regulate cigarettes.The list of these organisations is growing every day.
“Last year, the Swedish Minister of Health, Morgan Johansson said that in five years’ time, a majority of EU countries would have smoke free laws. We hope it can happen even sooner,” says Fiona Godfrey, EU Policy Advisor, European Respiratory Society speaking on behalf of the Smoke Free Partnership.
Indeed, In view of the fact that it is technologically and economically feasible for cigarettes to meet fire-safety standards, tobacco manufacturers should be required to produce and market only reduced-ignition propensity cigarettes in the EU. Tobacco manufacturers should use the same standard as in New York and Canada (ASTM International) E2187-02b.
To join the European RIP Alliance
If you are interested in joining the European RIP Alliance, please contact:
Florence Berteletti Kemp,
EPHA Vice President & Advocacy Officer, Smoke Free Partnership, - ERS Brussels Office,
39/41 Rue d’Arlon, 1000 Brussels
E-mail: florence.berteletti@ersnet.org
Tel: +32 2 238 53 63
Fax: + 32 2 238 53 61
GSM: + 32 496 12 43 02
