In an unexpected, somewhat unlikely, and mostly unnecessary turn of events, Health Canada has issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of packs of cigarettes due “increased fire hazard” concerns.
On Thursday, the recall was issued for 256,500 packages of 20-pack, regular-sized Viceroy Fulls (Viceroy Original) sold between September 2021 and March 2022.
The recall states that the agency’s sampling and evaluation program has found that the cigarettes “do not meet the performance standards required by the Cigarette Ignition Propensity (Consumer Products) Regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.”
According to Cigarette Ignition Propensity Regulations, cigarettes manufactured in or imported into the country “must burn their full length no more than 25% of the time.” Cigarettes that do not meet this performance standard “pose an increased fire hazard” in a sense that when you drop them onto furniture, especially bedding or other flammable textile, it may cause a fire to start.
But is that not the case for all cigarettes?
Health Canada, the agency that spends time and effort to study which cigarettes are more likely to ignite textiles, recommends that consumers should immediately stop using the recalled products and get in touch with the distributor, Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited, to return the product for a replacement.
Or maybe just get an ashtray?
Information for this briefing was found via Health Canada. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
