Cigarette Changes

December 12, 2004 7:56 AM

Are cigarettes being made differently than a few months ago? Normally you light a cigarette and if you put it in the ashtray, it just burns up to the filter. I notice that about 6 months ago, the cigarette no longer does that but extinguishes itself if I don't keep puffing. Has anybody else had this experience? I smoke Marlboro Ultra Lights. No preachers, please.
posted by zorro astor to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

I heard somewhere that they are now producing this type of cigarettes, they are much safer (in terms of fire safety). I also heard this might become law here in Canada, every cigarette made must be self-extinguishing.
*take this with a grain of salt, this is from a conversation I had weeks ago*
posted by defcom1 at 8:06 AM on December 12, 2004

Dunno where you live, but this article should provide a little background that may be relevant:
posted by Bugbread at 8:07 AM on December 12, 2004

Ok, that didn't work. Try clicking this.
posted by Bugbread at 8:07 AM on December 12, 2004

Wow! zorro astor knows his/her cigarettes; regs went into effect almost exactly 6 mos ago in NY (e.g. Astoria).
posted by TimeFactor at 8:14 AM on December 12, 2004

I had noticed this too, but just figured it was my fault for not inhaling often enough.
posted by bingo at 8:27 AM on December 12, 2004

I smoke American Spirits which have always gone out if not puffed on. I remember reading somewhere that tobacco doesn't naturally burn continuously and that major manufacturers of cigarettes added all kinds of things to keep cigarettes lit and burning quickly so that folks would consume more total product. As mentioned, with the general behavior of flicking still burning cigarette butts everywhere, this creates a major fire hazard.
posted by spaghetti at 8:57 AM on December 12, 2004

Mine are still burning to the filter.....maybe they are old.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:58 AM on December 12, 2004

If there's a black line over the barcode on the pack, it's one of the new "safer" ones here in NY.
posted by amberglow at 9:22 AM on December 12, 2004

I would second spaghetti's suggestion - as a pipe smoker, it's hard to keep tobacco burning away continuously. So not only will you not burn up in your sleep due to a careless mistake, you probably have a more 'natural' smoke...
posted by Slothrop at 9:35 AM on December 12, 2004

No difference over here in the UK but I hope that we get the same because the amount of cigarettes I've wasted by putting down in the ashtray while I need to use my hands is ridiculous!
posted by floanna at 10:11 AM on December 12, 2004

Here is a picture of the cigarette package amberglow mentioned.

I first heard about this on the Truth Ad a few weeks ago.
posted by freudianslipper at 10:22 AM on December 12, 2004

The accelerant in question is sulfur, added to the cigarette paper by manufacturers to keep an unattended smoke burning (in order to sell more). The sulfur is also responsible for the "refry" taste--when you put out a cigarette half way through and the second half tastes bad.


Sorta off-topic: I highly recommend switching to hand rolled, additive free tobacco (American Spirit pouch tobacco for instance). Not only will your smokes go out when you want them to, but you'll smoke less, smell better, and find it much easier to quit.
posted by maniactown at 10:35 AM on December 12, 2004

some manufacturers actually only bother to make these types of cigarettes, which can save hundreds of lives a year, in states where it's legally required

Hmm. No barcode on my pack (Nebraska). And they burn down like a motherfucker.

The sulfur is also responsible for the "refry" taste

So that's what it is! Damn. Thanks for the info!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:09 AM on December 12, 2004

maniactown - I don't think it's sulfur. I know that citrate and succinate salts have been used for that purpose but I can't imagine using sulfur. I am, and many many others are, deathly allergic to sulfur compounds and especially fumes. I can't use matches, for example, because the sulfur fumes can give me a severe asthma attack that has put me in the hospital more than once. Yet, I smoked cigs for nearly 30 years and never had that reaction. Plus, I can't find anything via Google that indicates sulfur has been used in cigarettes.
posted by TimeFactor at 12:52 PM on December 12, 2004

Minnesota here. No black bar on my Camels, and as far as I know they burn freely too.
posted by neckro23 at 1:54 PM on December 12, 2004

The (US) tobacco industry's response to the problem of fires caused by cigarettes was to give grants to hundreds of fire departments in major cities across the U.S. for "fire safety education programs" and provide them with "fire safety education materials."

In 1999, there were 167,700 fires caused by smoking materials (cigarettes, cigars, etc.), resulting in 807 civilian (that is, non-firefighter) deaths, 2,193 civilian injuries, and $559 million in direct property damage.
posted by WestCoaster at 1:55 PM on December 12, 2004

I quit smoking a few days ago... I feel like a million bucks. What I figured out is I needed a reason to quit. Yes, you can make anything a reason but I needed a scary reason. Life happened of course, and here I am.
posted by Keyser Soze at 3:41 PM on December 12, 2004

I smoke Nat Shermans, which go out if you don't smoke them as well. It's interesting to here them described as 'fire-safe cigarettes', when cigarettes start out with this property, and have to be modified to NOT be "fire-safe".
posted by mosch at 4:37 PM on December 12, 2004

Urban mythology in my neck of the woods is that it's saltpetre that's added to the paper to keep them burning.

It would be interesting to take the tobacco out of a few tailor-mades and roll them up in handrolling paper to see whether it's the tobacco or the paper that has the additives. If I still smoked regularly, I would try it.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 5:20 PM on December 12, 2004