Email This Post  Print This Post

Fire-Safe Cigarettes? Oxymoron?

As of Thursday, Jan. 1^st, twenty-two states have enacted laws that require stores to sell cigarettes that are fire-safe and slow-burning.  While I’ll be the first to tell you cigarette smoke and smoking are bad for your health, I’ll also tell you I sometimes use cigarettes, thanks to the dirty habit I picked up while serving as an active-duty soldier for the U.S. Army years ago. But now the new cigarettes are coated with an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion? A chemical found in material safety data sheets and labeled in a Group 2 status by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogenic.

In fact, before my time and more during my father’s military time when he served in the Army during the Korean War, the soldiers were provided cigarettes with their food rations while on deployments.  I’m not going to rehash what’s been settled in the legal system about the tobacco company conspiracies, but I will ask you, especially if you’re a smoker, do you agree with these new “fire-safe” cigarettes?

The claim from the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes is that about 800 Americans die each year from fires caused by careless smokers. The coalition also claims that number will be reduced in half by these new cigarettes. Based on the known fact that over 50% of statistics are made up, I’m not sure how they derived those numbers, but what I’m sure about is that these laced cigarettes are probably going to produce more harm to a greater number of smokers than the harm they already incur.

Smokers are now having to suck harder and take more puffs, as the cigarettes put themselves out rather quickly if no puffs are taken, which aggravates the typical smoker. As an example, on occasion I’ll light up and when I place a cigarette fire side down in my large Dave and Busters ashtray, at an upward angle (normally fire burns upward), it literally goes out in 30 seconds.

Now I’m the type of smoker that will light one up, take a puff and let it sit there and burn. I think my habit is more smell and sense of “it’s lit” than actually puffing, but what I find myself doing now is taking more puffs to keep it lit. I’m now trying to keep a cigarette alive that is meant not to burn.

I think cigarette smoking is bad, so just to be clear here, I’m not advocating smoking, but I do believe in a country of democracy, everyone should have a choice. Let’s look at the choice made for smokers because of this new fire-safe cigarette.

First, the coalition will lead you to believe that because the cigarettes are now using a “banded” and layered paper that when the first layer burns the second, less porous layer snuffs out the oxygen so the cigarette eventually stops burning. But let’s look at what they are not telling you,

The paper is chemically treated with an “ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion which according to Wikipedia, “Ethylene vinyl acetate (CAS# 24937-78-8, also known as EVA) is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40% with the remainder being ethylene.”

Also know as, “EVA copolymer’-a Dupont brand product, it’s used in thermoplastics, foam, waterki boots, hot glue-sticks, carpet adhesives and even as a cold-flow, improver for diesel fuel.  If you’re wearing “Crocs” (plastic clog shoes) you’re walking in what smokers are inhaling today too!

In return, thousands upon thousands of smokers are now complaining of bad tasting cigarettes, having to smoke more to keep their cigarettes lit, severe headaches, nausea, more coughing than ever, sore throats, increased sinus problems, nose bleeding, upper respiratory problems, chest pains, higher blood pressure and the list goes on.

Now I’m sure many people will refute these claims as biased, psychological responses of the body just because someone told us so and because of that, I decided to do a little research.  Because of my past experience in running a Department of Defense Photography Lab, I’m familiar with Federal laws on handling chemicals.  So I typed into Google, “Ethylene vinyl acetate Hazard Material Data Sheet” and one of the results I found on a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) was from a Honeywell company site and it states, “INHALATION: Not a probable route of exposure under normal conditions of use. Elevated processing temperatures may generate fumes and vapors which may cause irritation to the nose and throat.”  It further states that the “Vinyl Acetate” portion has an IARC status of Group 2b. 

IARC is the International Agency for Research on Cancer.  A 2b status means, “a possible carcinogen to based solely on the results of inhalation studies conducted on laboratory rats.”  According to IARC, group 2b, “The agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans.”  There are four group classifications that range from group one to group four.  Group four being the lowest classification or as IARC states, “The Agent is probably not carcinogenic to humans.”  Group one, being the worst as IARC will tell you “The agent is carcinogenic to humans.  Group 2 is the only one with an “a” and “b” subgroups, the difference is that “a” is probably carcinogenic to humans and “b” is possibly carcinogenic to humans.

On another MSDS from USG LEVELROCK on Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Polymer, you’ll find the statement, “Labored breathing may occur after excessive inhalation. If respiratory symptoms persist, consult physician.”   I also noticed, “TARGET ORGANS: Eyes, skin and respiratory system. PRIMARY ROUTES OF ENTRY: Inhalation, eyes and skin contact.”  Now their MSDS also claims that ethylene vinyl acetate is not listed in IARC, though if you do a Google under “Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Polymer, IARC,” the results are scary, you find both results.

One MSDS on EVA states, “INHALATION: This product may contain small amounts of vinyl acetate monomer, vapors of which have been shown to cause tumors in the respiratory tract of laboratory animals. Chronic overexposure to vinyl acetate is not expected to occur during normal handling and use of this product. Vinyl acetate has been shown to cause irritation and cancer in inhalation studies with laboratory animals. Test levels of 600ppm over a lifetime cause an increase in tumors in the respiratory tract of the test animals. 200ppm caused irritation. No tumors were observed in the animals exposed at 50ppm or lower. There is no evidence of adverse effects to humans exposed to levels at or below the TLV.”

Now EVA, is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate and when you research vinyl acetate, you’ll find in Wikipedia that “Due to research done by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that the substance could be linked to cancer in lab rats, a draft report due from the Government of Canada may label it toxic, along with as many as sixteen other substances.”  That Wikipedia entry is foot-noted to articles in the Canadian press about how some chewing gum maybe declared toxic by the Canadian government because, “Acetic acid ethenyl ester, or vinyl acetate - commonly used as a base in some chewing gums… tests completed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer found evidence that vinyl acetate could be linked to instances of cancer in rats. No similar results have been found in humans.”

Now I’m not a chemist nor do I have a degree in chemistry, so I’ll let the experts haggle out what is there or not there. However, from my experience, I’ve noticed increased coughing, nausea, harsher and longer headaches and tightness in my chest—more reason for me to stop. I see two things happening here, more smokers will stop smoking, which is good especially when you combine that with so many smoking bans today and the fact a pack of cigarettes cost more than a gallon of gasoline.  Not to mention the added health benefits from quitting. 

But what I also see, tobacco companies and governments and even perhaps the coalition for these “FSC” cancer sticks will soon face massive law suits and lawyers, not to mention the paper and chemical companies will get rich.

Well I do know one thing for sure, many smokers chew gum when they quit, whether it be a nicotine gum designed for reducing the urge of smoking or any type of gum as an alternative to smoking.  Oh wait, Canada is looking at banning chewing gum because it contains vinyl acetate, so there goes the gum.  Ok, I dare you, what are your thoughts…Thanks, Rolando

•  List of States with fire-safe cigarettes: 
• As of Jan. 1, 2009, Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania ,Texas, New York, Vermont, California, Oregon, New Hampshire, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Utah, Alaska, Rhode Island and Minnesota plus the District of Columbia.
• Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Louisiana, Hawaii and Wisconsin have laws that take effect later this year and according to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina have laws that will take effect in 2010.

 

1,383 views