U.S. News reports that if a park superintendent were to prohibit outdoor smoking for any of those reasons, then vaping would also be prohibited.
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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will also ban e-cigs anywhere regular smoking isn’t allowed.
E-cigarette advocates were trumpeting a recent study from Public Health England showing that vaping was 95 percent safer than smoking.
Listen to the interview with Marqise Allen, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health. “We are therefore extending the restrictions now in place protecting visitors and employees from exposure to tobacco smoke to include exposure to vapor from electronic smoking devices”, Mr. Jarvis said.
Citing “an abundance of caution” to protect the health of employees and visitors, Director Jonathan Jarvis said the service would treat nicotine vapor the same as tobacco smoke.
[SURVEY: E-Cigarette Users Would Ignore Bans, Turn to Black Market].
The report claims that it is unclear if electronic cigarettes have ever caused a wildfire, but the numbers show normal cigarettes are a major hazard outdoors. “The National Park Service should leave ex-smokers alone and let them camp and hike in peace”.
Vapor exhaled from electronic cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) contains nicotine at a level roughly one-tenth of that found in second-hand smoke.
Health officials have previously warned the public that the health effects of long-term e-cigarette use are now unknown.
It’s worth noting that e-cigarettes don’t have the same combustion potential as traditional ones.
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According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention electronic cigarette use among teens has surpassed traditional cigarette use for the first time.
