Does Tobacco Industry Support Cigarette Fires?
[1/1-2] Excerpts from BIG TOBACCO’S DOLLARS DOUSE PUSH FOR FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES; LOBBYING: FIRMS BANKROLL EXPERTS, ALLIANCES WITH SAFETY GROUPS TO RESIST PRODUCT CHANGES, PAPERS SHOW by MYRON LEVIN, Los Angeles Times [1/1/98] Many people know that smoking is considered the nation’s leading preventable cause of death. But it is less widely known that cigarettes also are the leading cause of fatal fires, responsible for about a quarter of all U.S. fire deaths. Often, the 1,000 victims each year are not just smokers who drifted off to sleep, but children and other innocent bystanders. Yet many scientists and fire officials say these deaths could often be avoided because small design changes in cigarettes would make them less prone to start fires. And indeed, during the last quarter-century, many bills have been introduced in state legislatures and Congress to require cigarettes to meet a fire-resistance standard. But tobacco companies, claiming fire-safe cigarettes would not be commercial
