Abstract

This invention concerns the use of a class of coatings that are applied to the paper wrapper that encloses the cigarette's smoking medium, for limiting in a predictable manner the free burning time of the treated cigarette, or controlling the lapsed time prior to self-extinguishment after being lit and left unattended. The coating materials are generally identified as polymeric chlorine-containing film-forming latexes that cure at ambient temperature, forming flexible, water-resistant, flame-retardant deposits. Comparable results are obtained, for equivalent weight percentages of the deposited latex solids, by either pre-coating the portion of paper wrapper that encloses the charge of tobacco or smoking medium or by post-treatment of the external surface of the assembled cigarette. For cigarettes having paper wrappers coated to contain 19&#b1;6 weight percent latex solids of this invention, based on the weight of the treated paper that encloses the smoking medium, after being lit and left unattended a self-extinguishing time of from 1 to 3 minutes can be expected, meeting a practicable compromise for the smoker between safety and smoking convenience.