/ Current Policy Issues / Harm reduction & product regulation / Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes

Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes

Cigarette-started fires cause death, disfigurement and distress which could be easily prevented by simple design changes. The tobacco industry has had the technology to make all cigarettes fire safer for at least 20 years, in that time 3,500 deaths from smoking-related fires have occurred in the UK.

The RIP Coalition wants the Government to reduce this avoidable suffering through the introduction of sensible product regulation. ASH coordinates the RIP Coalition which is lobbying for this in the UK and Europe. We are working with the European RIP Alliance to campaign for standards to be set under the General Product Safety Directive.

Campaign for Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes (External Web Page)

The Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes (RIP) Coalition is an alliance of groups that want the Government to reduce the avoidable suffering caused by cigarette-started fires through the introduction of sensible product regulation.

To join the RIP coalition as a supporting organisation read the aims and objectives as stated in the mission statement.

Standards Australia Press Release: Standard for Reduced fire risk cigarettes (External PDF)

Standards Australia released a new Australian Standard which tests the likelihood of cigarettes to self-extinguish if left unattended. The Standard, AS4830-2007 Determination of the extinction propensity of cigarettes was released 9 March 2007

The Coalition for Fire-safe cigarettes (US) (External Web Page)
The Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes in the US is working to save lives and prevent injuries and devastation from cigarette-ignited fires. The Coalition calls for manufacturers to produce and market only cigarettes that adhere to an established fire safety performance standard. The Coalition is working to see that this standard is required in every state within the United States.