- Author
- Smith, L. E. | Greene, M. A. | Singh, H. A.
- Title
- Fires Caused by Children Playing With Lighters. An Evaluation of the CPSC Safety Standard for Cigarette Lighters.
- Coporate
- Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC
- Distribution
- For more information contact: Website: http://www.sosfires.com/CPSC%20Report%20Lighters
- Keywords
- lighters | children | fire statistics | fire losses | standards | ignition | death | human behavior
- Identifiers
- CPSC's Safety Standard for Cigarette Lighters, 16 C.F.R. Part 1210 (16 CFR 1210); fire loss trends 1988-1998: all lighters combined and all children combined; 1998 estimate fire losses, by age of the fire starter and lighter type; 1998 estimates of standard effectiveness; fire characteristics, 1997-1999 CPSC study; detector operation; child behavior and supervision; lighter characteristics, 1997-1999 CPSC study; factors affecting young children's ability to operate current cigarette lighters; 1997-1999 CPSC lighter study questionnaire; 1997-1999 CPSC lighter study data; estimated fire losses caused by children playing with lighters, 1988-1998
- Abstract
- In response to the increasing number of fire deaths caused by young children playing with cigarette lighters, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) promulgated the "Safety Standard for Cigarette Lighters" that required most cigarette lighters to be resistant to operation by children younger than age 5. The Standard became effective on July 12, 1994, for lighters manufactured or imported after that date. It applies to disposable, inexpensive, cigarette lighters and novelty lighters that appeal to young children. This report was prepared to evaluate the effectiveness of this CPSC Safety Standard and to describe the lighter child play fires that are still occurring. The report is based on the results of two CPSC studies that were conducted to identify the ages of the children involved in starting cigarette lighter child play fires. The first, pre-Standard, study was conducted between 1985 and 1987. The second, post-Standard, study was conducted from October 1997 to February 1999. National estimates of cigarette lighter fires caused by children younger than age 5 were based on the results of these studies as well as data from the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) annual survey of U.S. fire losses. This report was prepared to evaluate the effectiveness of CPSC's Safety Standard for Cigarette Lighters, 16 C.F.R. Part 1210, which requires that most cigarette lighters be child-resistant. The Standard took effect for products manufactured or imported after July 12, 1994 (16 CFR 1210). At the time the Standard was developed, CPSC estimated that children younger than age 5 playing with cigarette lighters were responsible for an annual average 5,600 residential fires that resulted in 150 deaths and 1,095 injuries annually (based on 1988 - 1990 data, the most recent data available at the time). At that time, it was estimated that children younger than age 5 ignited 73 percent of all residential structure fires started by children playing with cigarette lighters. Those fires accounted for 93 percent of the cigarette lighter child play fire deaths, 83 percent of the cigarette lighter child play fire injuries, and 73 percent of the cigarette lighter child play fire estimated property loss.