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In 2003, New York became the first state requiring cigarettes soldwithin its borders to pass a fire safety standard based on a testdeveloped by the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) to reduce the risk of igniting upholstered furniture andbedding, a major cause of residential fires. Last year, when Wyoming enacted a law similar to New York's, amilestone with lifesaving consequences was achieved: all 50 stateshad made the Standard Test Method for Measuring the IgnitionStrength of Cigarettes (ASTM E2187) a regulatory requirement. A new study* projects that, with nationwide adoption, deaths due tofires ignited by cigarettes or other tobacco products will drop 30percent below the total number of such fatalities in 2003, the lastfull year before the ASTM E2187 was first implemented in a state.The projected decrease translates into about 200 lives savedannually. People age 50 and older may benefit the most from the stateregulations, according to the National Fire Protection Associationstudy. This age group constitutes only 31 percent of the U.S.population, but accounts for 77 percent of deaths due toresidential fires caused by smoking materials. A NIST team, sponsored by the New York State Office of FirePrevention and Control and led by senior research scientist RichardGann, studied how cigarettes ignite home furnishings and thendeveloped the test method on which the fire-safety standard isbased. In 2002, the private-sector standards organization ASTMInternational formally adopted the test as the recommended methodfor measuring the capability of a cigarette to continue burning andignite bedding, upholstered furniture and related items. Gann nowchairs the ASTM International Task Group that regularly reviews thestandard with the aim of identifying potential improvement in lightof recent research and market developments. The path that led to the standard and its subsequent adoptionacross the United States spans 28 years, beginning when Congresspassed the Cigarette Safety Act of 1984. The law mandated athorough analysis of the feasibility of developing cigarettes witha reduced propensity to ignite furnishings. A technical committeeled by Gann determined that a number of already-patented cigarettedesign features reduced the risk of ignition. The committee also recommended developing a valid and reliablemeasurement method to determine that a cigarette is less prone toignite a fire. Congress endorsed this recommendation in the FireSafe Cigarette Act of 1990. Gann and his team developed two testapproaches, but they eventually decided to promote their "cigaretteextinction method" as a proposed standard. Over the next decade, the NIST team subjected the test method to anextensive series of trials that involved testing laboratoriesthroughout the United States and around the world. Resultsconfirmed the test's validity and eventually quieted the objectionsof critics. Momentum in the states picked up in 2006 with theformation of the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, a nationalalliance of fire service organizations, consumer groups, disabledrights advocates, public health practitioners, and others. Thecoalition advocated for industry and state adoption of ASTM E2187. Gann welcomes the progress achieved over the last decade, but saysthere's more work to be done. "While U.S. deaths fromcigarette-initiated fires are projected to be reduced by 30percent, cigarettes will continue to be the largest cause of U.S.fire deaths," he notes. Benefits of the standard are being reaped internationally. Canada,Australia and Finland already have adopted ASTM E2187. TheInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) has approved aversion of the ASTM standard, as prepared by a committee chaired byGann. This standard (ISO 12863) has been adopted by the EuropeanUnion. Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Ford DVD GPS , KIA DVD Player Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Automobile DVD Players today!
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