Philip Morris USA continues to support a uniform, nationwide standard for Fire Standards Compliant (FSC) cigarettes. FSC describes cigarettes that exhibit a greater likelihood of self-extinguishing under prescribed laboratory protocols.
In particular, PM USA supports the adoption of a uniform, nationwide standard for FSC that is equivalent to the standard first adopted in New York in 2004, and now adopted in every state. More specifically, PM USA supports federal legislation to establish a performance standard equivalent to the standards already adopted in every state and to preempt state and local standards that differ from this federal standard.
This would ensure that all manufacturers and importers—regardless of size or location—would be required to satisfy the same standard, and also eliminate the possibility of a patchwork of inconsistent and conflicting state and local regulations. We believe that any federal standard developed on this issue should not result in an increase of the known health risks of smoking and should permit the sale of cigarettes that are acceptable to adult smokers.
While the New York standard has now been adopted in every state, a uniform federal standard would ensure that this standard remains consistent over time and across the United States.
PM USA currently uses cigarette paper technology known as banded paper on all of the cigarette products it manufactures. Banded paper is designed so that the bands act as “speed bumps” to slow down the rate at which the cigarette burns as the lit end crosses over them. Cigarettes made with this technology may be more likely to extinguish on their own in certain conditions, such as resting in an ashtray.
It is important to remember that FSC cigarettes are not “fire-safe.” Anything that burns, if handled carelessly, can cause a fire, including FSC cigarettes. They should be handled and disposed of properly, just like all cigarettes.
