Mind if I Vape?

Winter, Mary ; Hanson, Karmen

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As sales of electronic cigarettes have grown, so have questions about the health risks they may pose, including the possible effects of the secondhand vapors they emit. New Jersey, North Dakota, Utah and several local governments across the country have banned the use of e-cigarettes in indoor public areas, and some states have banned them in state buildings, such as schools and universities. Lawmakers in several other states are considering similar bans on indoor vaping, often by including them in their clean indoor air acts.

Research on these "nicotine delivering systems" is relatively scant. E-cigarettes--also called vaporizers, vapes or digital cigarettes--don't contain tobacco or tar and don't produce smoke like traditional cigarettes do. Instead, they come with cartridges containing flavored liquids, and a small battery that heats the liquid, converting it into vapor.

Studies have shown some of these vapors contain nicotine and the carcinogen formaldehyde. Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights believes e-cigarette emissions are dangerous and quotes Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California on its website: "If you are around somebody who is using e-cigarettes, you are breathing an aerosol of exhaled nicotine, ultra-fine particles, volatile organic compounds and other toxins." The American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and other health groups support bans on indoor vaping.

Others say the science is too new to know if secondhand vapors carry serious health risks. They argue e-cigarettes are probably safer than traditional smokes, mainly because they don't contain tar and don't emit the same chemicals produced by regular cigarettes. They maintain e-cigarettes can help prevent some people from smoking traditional cigarettes in the first place, or can help longtime tobacco smokers kick the habit.

A bill is making its way through the California Assembly to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places and to tighten enforcement against any sales to minors. Debate there reflects similar discussions happening elsewhere. "Whether you get people hooked on e-cigarettes or regular cigarettes, it's nicotine addiction and it kills." Senator Mark Leno (D), who introduced the legislation in California. "We're going to see hundreds of thousands of family members and friends die from e-cigarette use just like we did from traditional tobacco use."

Opponents, like the American Vaping Association, counter that "smokers deserve truthful information about smoke-free alternatives, not hype and conjecture designed to scare them away ..." from e-cigarettes.

At least 41 states ban the sales of e-cigarettes to anyone under age 18 or 19.