Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home » EU move to reduce cigarette ignited fires – guide

    EU move to reduce cigarette ignited fires – guide

    eub2By eub214 November 2011 Health No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    — last modified 14 November 2011

    Cigarettes left unattended are one of the leading causes of fatal fires in Europe. Evidence shows that the number of fatalities can be reduced by over 40% with the introduction of ‘Reduced Ignition Propensity’ (RIP) cigarettes. This means cigarettes which self extinguish when left unattended and which are thus less likely to cause fire. This safety measure is already in place in some countries globally (US, Canada, Australia), and, in the EU, in Finland since April 2010. As from 17th November 2011, once the new safety standards are published in the EU Official Journal all cigarettes sold in Europe will have to comply with these measures. It will be the role of the national authorities to enforce this new fire safety measure.


    Advertisement


    Protecting citizens from fire hazard

    Data from Member States covering 2003 to 2008 show that, in the EU, cigarette related fires cause more than 30,000 fires every year, with more than 1,000 deaths and over 4,000 injuries. The experience from Finland, where the number of victims of cigarette-ignited fires has fallen by 43%, suggests that nearly 500 lives could be saved in the EU every year.

    It must be stressed that tobacco is the largest avoidable health risk in Europe causing the death of more than an estimated half a million people in the EU each year. The Commission remains committed to a “smoke-free Europe” and address this issue via its on-going EU “Ex-smokers are unstoppable” campaign.

    New safety standards : how does it work

    The change which is required under the new standards is about reducing ignition propensity, which is the ability of a cigarette left unattended to start a fire. Cigarette paper manufacturers have changed their paper production to insert two rings of thicker paper at two points along the cigarette. If the cigarette is left unattended the burning tobacco will hit one of these rings and should then self-extinguish, because the ring restricts the air / oxygen supply. A RIP cigarette cuts down the burning time, thus reducing the chance to ignite furniture, bedding or other material.

    Background

    The new standards have been drawn up under the General Product Safety Directive (OJ L 11, 15.1.2002, p. 4), which obliges producers to place only safe products on the market.

    In 2008 the European Commission defined the safety requirements, following discussion with Member States, the tobacco and paper industries and NGOs, and then asked the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) to develop the relevant standards, which national authorities will use to measure compliance with fire safety rules.

    Further information:

    The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD)

    Consumer safety

    Tobacco

    Source: European Commission

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    eub2
    • Website

    eub2 is the default publisher for EUbusiness.

    Related Content

    Detergents - Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels

    EU Council and Parliament strike deal for safer detergents

    Community Manager, European Society for Emergency Medicine, EUSEM

    Vaccination - Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels

    Preventive healthcare expenditure €202 per EU inhabitant in 2022

    Hospital computers - Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

    EU outlines plan to protect health sector from cyberattacks

    Health research - Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

    New EU health technology rules to offer quicker access to innovative medicines

    Smoking man - Photo by Geri Tech on Pexels

    EU backs increased protection against passive smoking

    LATEST EU NEWS
    Euro - ECB-Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

    Geopolitical tension and broader risk-off sentiment hit equity markets – Euro currency news daily

    13 June 2025

    Brussels to postpone market risk prudential requirements under Basel III by one more year

    12 June 2025
    Cyberattacks - Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

    EUR 145m calls to boost European cybersecurity for hospitals

    12 June 2025
    Detergents - Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels

    EU Council and Parliament strike deal for safer detergents

    11 June 2025
    Cybersecurity - Image by Franz Bachinger from Pixabay

    EU adopts blueprint for dealing with European cyber crises

    6 June 2025

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025

    Design and developed by : 

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?