BOSTON—Massachusetts
is poised to become the sixth state in the country to require tobacco
companies to sell only "fire-safe" cigarettes. The bill was approved by
both the House and Senate and is awaiting the Governor's signature.
Cigarette-ignited
fires are the leading cause of home fire deaths in Massachusetts and
nationwide, killing 700 to 900 Americans each year according to the
National Fire Protection Association. According to the most recent year
of analyzed fire data, cigarettes caused 1,386 fires in Massachusetts.
"These
fires not only kill, they injure smokers and firefighters and cause
millions of dollars in property damage," said Massachusetts State Fire
Marshal Stephen D. Coan. "Without a doubt, this law will save lives and
protect firefighters."
The
bill was championed by state Senator Stephen Brewer (Barre) and state
Representative Rachel Kaprielian (Watertown), the lead sponsors in the
legislature.
"This
bill is about saving lives and protecting loved ones from accidents
caused by smoking," said Senator Brewer. "The big car companies in the
sixties cried out when consumer protection laws were enacted in the
U.S. Legislature to make their vehicles safer. Looking back, we
definitely did the right thing. Now in 2006, the tobacco industry has
raised their eyebrows to the safety measures placed on manufacturing
their product that has now become law. When we look back on this effort
in ten, or even five years from now, we will know that we did the right
thing."
Under
the legislation, all cigarettes sold or offered in Massachusetts must
meet a "reduced ignition" standard, which is achieved by wrapping the
cigarette in less porous bands of paper that act like "speed bumps" to
slow down a cigarette's burn so that it self-extinguishes. According to
research by the Harvard School of Public Health, fire-safe cigarettes
are 90% less likely to cause a fire as compared to conventional
cigarettes.
"We
are now part of a handful of states leading a national trend for
fire-safe cigarettes," said State Representative Rachel Kaprielian. "I
am immensely proud that we are making self-extinguishing cigarettes the
standard here in Massachusetts. It's a matter of consumer protection
that is also, quite simply, something that will literally save lives."
Similar
laws requiring self-extinguishing cigarettes have passed in California,
New York, Vermont, Illinois, New Hampshire and for the entire country
of Canada.
The
bill was named for the Kearney family of West Roxbury who lost six
people in one of Boston's deadliest fires, a 1990 Roslindale blaze that
claimed the lives of Maureen Kearney O'Neill; her husband, Myles; their
three daughters Charlene, 3; Stacy, 2; and Liana, 10 months, and a
family friend.
"We
don't want our sister to die in vain," O'Neill's brother, Thomas
Kearney, said at a Statehouse news conference promoting the legislation
in May.
With a handful of states soon to require self-extinguishing cigarettes,
advocates now question at what point the tobacco industry will sell
them nationwide.
"With
the addition of Massachusetts, a quarter of the country's population
will be in states with fire-safe cigarette mandates," said MASSPIRG
Consumer Advocate Eric Bourassa. "The tipping point must be coming
soon."
Philip Morris Inc., the nation's largest tobacco company, supports a
national, rather than state-by-state fire-safety standard for
cigarettes. But Congress has not acted on a similar national bill that
is sponsored by Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey.
"Today
Massachusetts joined five other states in leading the way on cigarette
fire safety," said Congressman Markey. "Fires ignited by cigarettes are
the leading cause of fire deaths in this country. The Massachusetts
House and Senate have acted to prevent families from suffering tragic
losses from careless fires started by cigarettes. Now Congress needs to
act, by setting a national standard so that all states, not just a few,
benefit from cigarettes which extinguish themselves when dropped, thus
preventing fires which annually take the lives of many innocent
children and brave firefighters."
Groups supporting the passage of the bill include the Massachusetts
Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG), the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA), the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Fire Chiefs
Association of Massachusetts, the Professional Firefighters of
Massachusetts, and dozens of other lawmakers and public health
organizations.
