Research to be Done on FSC cigarettes!

The Arkansas General Assembly, on March 31, 2009, passed Act 697 to force all cigarettes in the State of Arkansas to be Fire Safe Cigarettes (FSC). We are asking for in-depth research to be conducted on the chemicals inside of FSC cigarettes.

In the previous months, thousands of citizens have voiced their opinions about the health concerns that the cigarettes are causing.

Citizens have realized, after smoking FSC cigarettes that have encountered headaches, chestpains, stomach sickness, and several other related health problems.

1) Cigarette company literature and health officials have identified light cigarettes as no less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Such light cigarettes contain equal amounts of carbon monoxide. The affect and harm of cigarette smoke varies depending upon the smoker's habit of taking longer, deeper and more frequent puffs on the cigarette. This is a widely accepted fact. Fire Safe Cigarettes require that a smoker inhale in less than one minute or the cigarette will extinguish itself. The need to keep a FSC cigarette burning increases the number of inhales per cigarette, and thus increases the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide intake into the smoker lungs. The result is more health-risk damage to the smoker.

2) The Fire Safe Cigarette design has resulted in more frequent ash, which may fall and ignite more fires than regular cigarettes.

3) Having to relight cigarettes increases the potential for more fire related accidents with matches and lighters.

4) The added and higher level chemicals contained in FSC cigarettes has proven to be more toxic than regular cigarettes and cause increased health related problems for smokers. Symptoms/conditions include, but are not limited to: Nausea, Sores in mouth and throat, Dry throat, constant headaches, extreme coughing, tightness in the chest, vomiting, body aches, pain in the abdomen and respiratory conditions including asthma and bronchitis.

a. The Harvard School of Health reported that when comparing NY Cigarettes (FSC) versus Regular Cigarettes, the FSC cigarettes produced 13.9% more Naphthalene and 11.4% more carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.[1] Naphthalene is commonly found in moth balls, and exposure in high amounts can result in Symptoms of acute exposure include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malaise, confusion, anemia, jaundice, convulsions, and coma.

Therefore, it has been proven that FSC cigarettes contain higher levels of chemicals that are harmful to smokers.

b. Phillip Morris USA has reported that the Adhesive ethylene vinyl acetate and polyvinyl acetate are used in the non-tobacco ingredients of cigarettes produced as a Side-seam adhesive. However, Phillip Morris USA fails to distinguish the differences in levels between regular and FSC cigarettes. The amount does not exceed .6 % combined.[3] Since additional layers of paper are used in FSC cigarettes, more adhesive is needed in the form of ethylene vinyl acetate. Safe smoking habits of responsible adults prevent fatalities from burning cigarettes. It is up to individuals to responsibly extinguish cigarettes. The creation of FSC cigarettes has created numerous hazards which cause more fatalities and problems than the small amount of lives saved from fires with the FSC cigarettes in use. Not only are the FSC cigarettes unsafe to smokers, it presents health problems and increases the damage of cigarettes. Due to inadequate testing by Cigarette Companies and government agencies, the FSC cigarette poses real and identified dangers to the smoking public. Therefore, the FSC laws are detrimental to the public good and must be repealed immediately.

All who here-to sign this petition support the immediate repeal of all FSC laws and support an allowance for Cigarette Companies to resume selling regular cigarettes in retail stores within all States/Commonwealths in the United States of America.