title: Investigating the effect of banning non-reduced ignition propensity cigarettes on fatal residential fires in Sweden.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Annually, 100 people die as a result of residential fires in Sweden and almost a third of the fatal fires are known to be caused by smoking. In an attempt to reduce the occurrence of these events, reduced ignition propensity (RIP) cigarettes have been developed. They are designed to reduce the risk of fire by preventing the cigarette from burning through the full length when left unattended. In November 2011, a ban was introduced, forbidding the production and sale of all non-RIP cigarettes in all member states of the European Union, including Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Monthly data on all recorded residential fires and associated fatalities in Sweden from January 2000 to December 2013 were analyzed using an interrupted time series design. The effect of the intervention [in relative risk (RR)] was quantified using generalised additive models for location, shape and scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant intervention effects on residential fires (RR 0.95 [95% CI: 0.89-1.01]), fatal residential fires (RR 0.99 [95% CI: 0.80-1.23]), residential fires where smoking was a known cause (RR 1.10 [95% CI: 0.95-1.28]) or fatal residential fires where smoking was a known cause (RR 0.92 [95% CI: 0.63-1.35]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No evidence of an effect of the ban on all non-RIP cigarettes on the risk of residential fires in Sweden was found. The results may not be generalisable to other countries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Risk Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden carl.bonander@kau.se.
authors.forename: Carl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bonander
authors.affiliation: Division of Risk Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden Lessons Learned Section, The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Karlstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Risk Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Finn T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Nilson
mesh_terms: D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013548:Sweden; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards*