The measure calls for e-cigarette use to be banned in public spaces such as healthcare-related properties, sports facilities, schools, restaurants and indoor workplaces, among other areas.
Brian Primack, MD, assistant vice chancellor for research on health and society at the University of Pittsburgh, told TribLive secondhand smoke associated with e-cigarettes could negatively affect health as much as secondhand smoke from cigarettes. According to the report, Dr. Primack said in some cases, inhalation of secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes can be unsafe at any level.
Michael Lynch, MD, medical director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center and a physician at UPMC, told the publication “it’s very appropriate to think of an e-cigarette as a cigarette for purposes of regulation. We know that those exposed to secondhand vapor have similar levels of nicotine in their blood as people exposed to secondhand cigarettes.”
The Allegheny County Council will vote on the measure in Pittsburgh Tuesday.
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