Missoula County supports SB 475: Generally revise indoor vaping laws, up for hearing tomorrow morning, Feb. 28, in the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee. Thank you for sponsoring this bill.
By including e-cigarettes in the Clean Indoor Air Act, this bill will help protect the public’s health by limiting exposure to indoor secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposure. E-cigarette exposure is not a harmless water vapor as some may think. It contains ultrafine particles, chemicals and metals, many of which have been associated with cancer, respiratory conditions and heart disease. Most e-cigarettes also contain nicotine, and studies have found levels of nicotine in e-cigarette aerosol similar to levels found in cigarette smoke. Exposure to nicotine in any form is unsafe for youth, pregnant women and developing fetuses. Also, long-term health impacts of using e-cigarettes and secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposure are still unknown. We do know daily e-cigarette use is associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, respiratory disease and cancer. In fact, e-cigarette users have been found to be diagnosed with cancer at a younger age than those who traditionally smoke.
This bill will also help reshape the culture around e-cigarette use for our youth. Adolescents often do not perceive e-cigarettes as a substitute for conventional cigarettes, and if they are exposed to e-cigarettes in public places, they will be less likely to perceive e-cigarettes as harmful, compared to youth in localities with smokefree laws that include e-cigarettes.
Senator Curdy,
ReplyDeleteMissoula County supports SB 475: Generally revise indoor vaping laws, up for hearing tomorrow morning, Feb. 28, in the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee. Thank you for sponsoring this bill.
By including e-cigarettes in the Clean Indoor Air Act, this bill will help protect the public’s health by limiting exposure to indoor secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposure. E-cigarette exposure is not a harmless water vapor as some may think. It contains ultrafine particles, chemicals and metals, many of which have been associated with cancer, respiratory conditions and heart disease. Most e-cigarettes also contain nicotine, and studies have found levels of nicotine in e-cigarette aerosol similar to levels found in cigarette smoke. Exposure to nicotine in any form is unsafe for youth, pregnant women and developing fetuses. Also, long-term health impacts of using e-cigarettes and secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposure are still unknown. We do know daily e-cigarette use is associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, respiratory disease and cancer. In fact, e-cigarette users have been found to be diagnosed with cancer at a younger age than those who traditionally smoke.
This bill will also help reshape the culture around e-cigarette use for our youth. Adolescents often do not perceive e-cigarettes as a substitute for conventional cigarettes, and if they are exposed to e-cigarettes in public places, they will be less likely to perceive e-cigarettes as harmful, compared to youth in localities with smokefree laws that include e-cigarettes.
Please support SB 475.