Warning over dangerous lighters

The Malta Standards Authority has warned that illegal, non-refillable cigarette lighters, called novelty lighters, are available for sale from different retail outlets around the Maltese Islands even though they are dangerous.

The European Commission in May 2006 had banned the sale of such lighters because they are unsafe, particularly children.

“These lighters normally come in the shape of a toy, cartoon character, musical instrument, human body or parts of a human body, play musical notes or have flashing lights or other child appealing or entertainment feature. Such features make these lighters appealing to children who use them and are injured through their use. All non-refillable lighters found on the markets are required to be certified as being child resistant,” the authority said.

It said any outlets having such lights should withdraw them immediately.

Comments

Albert Bezzina (on 23/4/08)

Mr Barrett, as with any risk factors there is the percentage which defines the affected victims and the balance which adds up to 100% which defines the unaffected survivors. We have made it to adulthood because be were part of the latter group or the more fortunate. Children and adults maimed or killed with lead poisoning ingestion, when involved in car accidents when no seatbelts were available, when inhaling and choking on detachable toy parts and fatal asthma attacks on family members because others smoke, may or may not have reached adulthood but they do exist. Safety precautions have never been about saving large percentages, but even small percentages in large populations add up to a large number of unfortunate individuals who succumb to lack of safety standards. My only reservation about the novelty lighters is that in the global issue of safety precautions as applied in Malta this sounds puny and trivial.

william sciberras (on 23/4/08)

one wonders how such lighters are imported into malta in the first place.

Paul Barrett (on 23/4/08)

Really does make you wonder how any of us made it to become adults.
Have now survived paint with lead in it, cars without seat belts, teady bears with eyes that actually came off it you pulled them hard enough to get at the spikes, parents that actually smoked cigarettes, playing with bow and arrows, air rifles and guess what, we were allowed to get dirty as well. Please pass another baby wipe !!!!!!!