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The Tobacco Reference Guide |
| by David Moyer, MD. |
| | Chapter 39 Cigarettes And Fires |
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| | Cigarettes are the number one cause of fires in the home, and fires from smoking in |
| | bed and other cigarette mishaps account for almost half a billion dollars in property |
| | damage annually in the United States. |
| | Cigarette Confidential, p. 6 |
| | tobacco reference guideg (artefact pour saut |
| | Cigarettes are responsible for about 1,000 fire deaths each year in the United States, |
| | about a quarter of the national toll. Many scientists and fire officials say that small |
| | changes in cigarette design would make them less likely to start fires, and many bills |
| | have been introduced in state legislatures and the US Congress to require cigarettes |
| | to meet a fire safety or resistance standard. The tobacco industry, however, has spent |
| | millions of dollars to make an alliance with fire safety organizations, and some of |
| | these groups, grateful for the financial support, seem to have accepted the industry's |
| | argument that fire-safe cigarettes are not feasible. |
| | Contra Costa Times, January 2, 1998 (from Los Angeles Times, Myron Levin) |
| | tobacco reference guideg (artefact pour saut |
| | 25% of fatal residential fires begin when smokers fall asleep in bed with lighted |
| | cigarettes, or a lighted cigarette is dropped on a couch or chair. In 1997, about 900 |
| | people, including 140 children, were killed in the 136,900 fires caused by tobacco |
| | materials, and there were 2479 injuries and $436 million in property damage. |
| | New York Times, January 11, 2000, and San Francisco Chronicle, May 17, 2000 |
| | tobacco reference guideg (artefact pour saut |
| | "A large proportion of fires in homes and hotels are caused by smoking. Insurance |
| | companies estimate that there were 2500 deaths due to accidental fires caused by |
| | smoking in 1980. Additionally, smoking contributes to many motor vehicle accidents |
| | by causing carbon monoxide intoxication and by distracting the driver. It is estimated |
| | that smoking caused about 1500 excess deaths from accidents other than fire during |
| | 1980, for a total of 4000 excess deaths from all kinds of accidents attributable to |
| | smoking." |
| | American Journal of Preventive Medicine, April 1985, p. 12 |
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| | Monday, July 24, 2000 | Page 1 of 3 |
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Last page of this chapter Copyright (©) 2000 - David Moyer - published on UICC GLOBALink |