Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity (RCIP) describes cigarettes that demonstrate a reduced ignition propensity in certain laboratory tests. A number of states have enacted laws adopting statewide performance standards for RCIP.
Today, many cigarette manufacturers including Philip Morris USA use banded cigarette paper to achieve compliance with mandatory standards. The developers of the test method, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), have stated that cigarettes with improved test performance are less likely to ignite bedding and upholstered furniture, such as mattresses and sofas. However, there is a limited amount of data regarding their actual real-world impact. It is important to note:
- These cigarettes are not “fire-safe.” Anything that burns, if handled carelessly, can cause a fire.
- Cigarettes with reduced ignition propensity should be handled and disposed of properly, just like other cigarettes.
- PM USA’s cigarettes with banded paper technology have rings of ultra-thin paper that are applied on top of traditional cigarette paper during the paper making process.
- These rings act as "speed bumps" to slow down the rate at which the cigarette burns as the lit end crosses over them.
- The idea behind the banded paper technology is that the cigarette is less likely to stay lit or more likely to self-extinguish when left unattended.
- PM USA believes that cigarettes made with banded paper technology do not increase the known health risks of smoking.
Because banded paper technology makes cigarettes more likely to self-extinguish during normal smoking, some adult smokers may find cigarettes made with banded paper technology to be less acceptable than cigarettes without banded paper technology.
