MOST MPs have witnessed the harrowing aftermath and family grief that can ensue when a smouldering cigarette causes a major fire in someone’s home. This magazine recently made a persuasive case for “fire-safe” cigarettes that contain fire-resistant additives (21/28 December 2002, p 6).
When I put the idea to Melanie Johnson, the consumer minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, she said her department had considered the idea but was not convinced. It concluded that the allegedly fire-safe cigarettes might not extinguish immediately after being discarded, and only reduce the number of fires caused by cigarettes rather than…
