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PHILIP MORRIS U. S. A. INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE R G I N I A Dr. R. B. Seligman _~, oa te: July 11, 1979 Increasing concern and publicity about fires and fire fatalities which may be caused by careless disposal of lighted eigarettes had led to a review of the ignition prevention (self-extinguishing in furniture, etc.) cigarette. It is known that in an ash tray situation certain cigarettes with tightly packed tobacco rods, or with high chloride tobaccos, or with very slow burning rod wrappers would not keep burning. It has also been assumed that the static burn rate, as measured in the standard test, would indicate whether or not a cigarette would self- extinguish. To reduce tar and nicotine numbers in the low delivery cigarettes the tendency has always been to move in the direction of more rapid burning and lower puff counts. As a result of these interrelationships in the "convention.a.l wisdom" about cigarette design it has come to be assumed that an ignition pre- vention cigarette in the sofa or mattress situation would be one which would also self : extinguish in the ash tray or in the static burn test. In the interest of consumer acceptability we have striven for cigarettes which would continue to burn in the latter case without regard to the former. We have said that, since slower burning cigarettes give higher delivery, the rapid burn low delivery is preferred by the con- sumer even though ignition potential may be greater. We have never explored what the requirements are for an ignition prevention cigarette in the sofa case and whether or not these requirements are in conflict with those properties needed to give the consumer a low delivery product which sustains burning in the normal usage situation. It is, therefore, recommended that we initiate a modest program to study and establish testing procedures for the determination of ignition potential of burning cigarettes. Once a standardized test has been established we can determine the importance of burning rate and other properties as factors affecting ignition potential. A progran7 to this end was outlined by Henry Merritt in 1977 and provides a good starting point for the investigation. I would suggest allocating Rec'd PM U.S.A. JUL 1 f 1979 F-iu.-h Cuiirnan

2 one technician year and one-half professional man year to the project at a budget level of about $100, 000.. A large hood for exhausting combustion fumes will also be required. References:. 1. Part 1633 - Proposed Standard for Flammability (cigarette ignition resistance) of Upholstered Furniture (PFF 6-761), Journal of Consumer Product Flammability, Vol. 4 (Sept. 1977), pp 267-287. 2. "Cigarette Fire Mechanisms" by J, R. x©ckers and Louis Segal (Office of the California State Fire Marshal), Quarterly of the National Fire Prevention Association, Voi. 49, No. 3, Jan. 1956, pp 2131-222. 3. "Summer Student Progra:m--Self-Extinguishing Cigarettes." Memo- randum by Henry B. Merritt to Dr. W. F. Gannon dated 15 May 1978. HW/kgs cc:. H. Cuilman W.W. McDowell •H. B. Merritt