Cigarettes are the most frequent cause of fatalities from
residential fires in the United States. So, it might seem surprising to
learn that a cigarette that burns stronger than others has been used for
decades by manufacturers of home furnishings to test the fire
resistance of their products. Making certain that they can continue this
life- and property-saving effort is the job of a new standard reference
material (SRM) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST).
NIST SRM 1196, “Standard Cigarette for Ignition Resistance Testing,”
consists of 10 packs of uniform cigarettes designed to replicate the
ignition performance of the “hottest burning” brand produced in the
1970s when NIST studied the fire-starting propensity of commercially
sold tobacco products. The standard cigarettes are designed to be placed
on a mattress, a piece of upholstered furniture or furniture components
to verify if these items have been manufactured to meet mandatory and
voluntary federal, state and/or industry guidelines for resistance to
ignition by burning cigarettes. The cigarettes were developed by NIST in
conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to
replace the commercial cigarettes that had been used for 30 years of
home furnishings testing but are no longer in production.
SRM 1196 is distinctly different from another cigarette standard
first issued by NIST in 2006. SRM 1082, “Cigarette Ignition Strength
Standard,” also consists of 10 packs of specially designed cigarettes,
but in this case, the cigarettes have a reduced propensity for igniting
household furnishings. Nearly all of the United States and Canada are
covered by regulations that require all cigarettes sold to have this
safety performance trait (commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as
being “fire-safe”). SRM 1082 helps cigarette manufacturers, testing
laboratories and regulatory agencies make accurate measurements to
determine if commercially sold brands meet the regulations. SRM 1196, on
the other hand, will be used to test the fire safety of household
furnishings.
Standard reference materials are among the most widely distributed
and used products from NIST. The agency prepares, analyzes and
distributes more than a thousand different materials that are used
throughout the world to check the accuracy of instruments and test
procedures used in manufacturing, clinical chemistry, environmental
monitoring, electronics, criminal forensics and dozens of other fields.
For more information on SRM 1196, including purchase data, see www.nist.gov/ts/msd/srm.
Media Contact: Michael Newman, mnewman@nist.gov, 301-975-3025
