Tobacco News and Interesting Information

The reduced fire risk (RFR) cigarettes are already produced overseas in Canada and New York and while Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan will need to rubber stamp the motion, the ministers yesterday committed to the move.

NSW Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees moved the resolution to make the cigarettes mandatory under the Trade Practices Act as early as next year.

"We hope this will be law by early 2009, requiring all cigarettes manufactured and sold throughout Australia to be self-extinguishing," he said.

"Every day's delay is another day we live with the risk that someone will be killed or injured or homes or bushland destroyed because cigarettes keep burning when they are dropped or thrown from a car window."

In Australia more than 4500 fires each year are caused by cigarette ignitions and 65 people died in fires directly attributed to cigarettes between 2000 and 2005.

Preliminary data from New York, which introduced RFR cigarettes in 2004, showed a significant decline in fire deaths.

NSW Fire Brigades tests showed a normal cigarette dropped on furnishings could start a fire in less than 18 minutes, while an RFR cigarette self-extinguished.

Mr Rees said some sections of the industry had traditionally baulked at such measures as health warnings and smoking bans, complaining about costs, difficulties in testing and compliance and production lead times.

"NSW does not accept that the industry needs an 18-month to two-year time frame to introduce these cigarettes, which are already being produced and sold in Canada and a number of states in the US," he said.

The Daily Telegraph understands the Australian tobacco industry is concerned that no testing has been done to ensure the cigarettes do not pose a further risk to smokers' health.