American Spirit used to mention (as recently as two months ago) a fire safe cigarette paper utilizing starch (for the speedbumps). They no longer say that in the FSC faq on their website. Instead they now use the vague "special cigarette paper" referenced everywhere else. Of course they don't mention that you are smoking plastic along with your lovely organically grown tobacco. That's what's so special about it!

It really angers me that they (cigarette manufacturers and ignorant state legislators) would implement such a drastic change with no regard to the added potential toxicity of EVA, a chemical that, according to a Material Safety Data Sheet "Can release irritating and/or toxic fumes and vapors if involved in a fire." IF???....INVOLVED IN A FIRE ????

"Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company does not add any chemicals to our tobacco to comply with State fire safety laws. We simply use a new type of flax-based cigarette paper which has built-in “speed bumps.” Two speed bumps are placed in horizontal bands along the length of the cigarette. The burn retardant bands are virtually non-porous. As a result, not enough oxygen can diffuse through the bands to the burning tobacco in order to support the smoldering process. As the lit end burns across these bands, the supply of oxygen is restricted and the cigarette is more likely to self-extinguish.



The material used to create the speed bumps is a natural starch, made from a water based alginate that is an extract of seaweed. This alginate is food use approved, biodegradable and applied to the paper in a water solution. Our FSC cigarettes contain the same amount of tobacco that Natural American Spirit cigarettes always have, and we use only the same premium quality 100% additive-free natural tobacco our customers have come to know and expect."

On wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alginic_acid it says: Alginate absorbs water quickly, which makes it useful as an additive in dehydrated products such as slimming aids, and in the manufacture of paper and textiles. It is also used for waterproofing and fireproofing fabrics, as a gelling agent, for thickening drinks, ice cream and cosmetics, and as a detoxifier that can absorb poisonous metals from the blood.

So it appears that Alginic Acid would be good for making cigarettes "Fire-safe" and possibly detoxify smokers from poisonous metals in the blood????

So it sounds like Santa Fe Natural tobacco is not using EVA in their American Spirit manufactured cigarettes! What do you guys think?

Edit: After a little more investigation it appears that they are using this patented version of FSC cigarettes: http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090025742 and I don't see a mention of EVA or anything besides alginic acid, so I don't know, but this sounds relatively safe.

Person - I did see your post. My point is that it appears that American Spirit at some point changed their FSC manufacturing process from using natural starch-based "speed bump" bands to the EVA bands. Their web site no longer touts the flax-based paper and natural starch bands. They simply say they use a "special cigarette paper" which we now know thanks to your email exchange, contains EVA. I guess I have to give American Spirit some credit for fessing up.

This is the same way they got this legislation passed. No one apparently questioned the method of modifying the paper or the chemicals used in the process. Special cigarette paper sounds much better than cigarette paper coated with bands of carpet glue.

Person - I did see your post. My point is that it appears that American Spirit at some point changed their FSC manufacturing process from using natural starch-based "speed bump" bands to the EVA bands. Their web site no longer touts the flax-based paper and natural starch bands. They simply say they use a "special cigarette paper" which we now know thanks to your email exchange, contains EVA. I guess I have to give American Spirit some credit for fessing up.

This is the same way they got this legislation passed. No one apparently questioned the method of modifying the paper or the chemicals used in the process. Special cigarette paper sounds much better than cigarette paper coated with bands of carpet glue.

I just with cigarettes could be made with unbleached paper tubes (no glue involved) and none of this FSC garbage.

Why use paper? I want tubes made from 100% pure sweet light Virginia cigarette tobacco leaf, no stems, no seeds.

Why use paper? I want tubes made from 100% pure sweet light Virginia cigarette tobacco leaf, no stems, no seeds.

Another update on EVA. In studies online it does say that inhaled EVA causes nasal, throat and lung irritation, and may be carcinogenic.