Zachary J. Jason, PE, CFEI
\nDennis E. Shelp, MS, PE, CFI, CFEI
\nJohn L. Schumacher, MChE, PE, CFI, CFPS
\nTodd J. Hedglin, CFI, CFEI
\nAEI Corporation
\nLittleton, CO, USA<\/p>\n
Presented at\u00a0International Symposium on Fire Investigation<\/a>, 2014<\/p>\n ABSTRACT<\/p>\n It is well known that cigarettes are the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States. \u00a0The National Fire\u00a0Protection Association (NFPA) reports that in 2011 alone, there were over 90,000 smoking-related fires,\u00a0contributing to over 540 civilian deaths, 1,640 civilian injuries, and $621 million in direct property damage.\u00a0However, the NFPA statistics, collected from The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the NFPA\u00a0annual survey, define \u201cSmoking Materials\u201d as lighted tobacco products (typically tobacco cigarettes). There is little\u00a0to no data regarding fires caused by cannabis, or what will hereafter be referred to as marijuana cigarettes.<\/p>\n With the recent legalization of marijuana in the states of Colorado and Washington, pending potential legalization in\u00a013 other states, and 20 states with medical-marijuana systems already in place the availability and usage\u00a0of marijuana is becoming more commonplace. This raises many interesting questions with regard to fire safety as it\u00a0relates to marijuana cigarettes. For example, what are the burn times and smoldering capability for marijuana\u00a0cigarettes? How do marijuana cigarettes compare with tobacco cigarettes in their ability to initiate smoldering\u00a0combustion in upholstered furniture and mattresses? To date, research regarding these questions has been difficult\u00a0due to the illegal status of cannabis, and currently very little is known about the ignition propensity and combustion\u00a0characteristics of marijuana cigarettes. Given the recent changes in Colorado law, however, AEI Corporation has\u00a0performed some of the first scientific testing of its kind looking at the smoldering and burning behavior of marijuana\u00a0cigarettes.<\/p>\n This paper outlines the first phase of our research into the overall fire hazards of marijuana cigarettes and compares\u00a0the ignition characteristics of marijuana to those of tobacco, when tested in accordance with current test methods\u00a0adopted for the tobacco industry. More specifically, our testing quantifies the ignition strength of marijuana\u00a0cigarettes and their propensity to ignite soft furnishings based on the parameters set forth in American Society of\u00a0Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E2187-2009, Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of\u00a0Cigarettes.\u00a0 The results of our tests evaluating ignition propensity of marijuana cigarettes are presented in\u00a0comparison to those of tobacco cigarettes tested under the same conditions. In addition, the effects of different\u00a0variables on the burning, smoldering, and ignition propensity of marijuana cigarettes will be examined.<\/p>\n Download the complete paper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zachary J. Jason, PE, CFEI Dennis E. Shelp, MS, PE, CFI, CFEI John L. Schumacher, MChE, PE, CFI, CFPS Todd J. Hedglin, CFI, CFEI AEI Corporation Littleton, CO, USA Presented at\u00a0International Symposium on Fire Investigation, 2014 ABSTRACT It is well known that cigarettes are the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States. \u00a0The … Continue reading Ignition Propensity of Cannabis Cigarettes<\/span>