• Who: Clark County Board of Health.
• What: Public hearing on electronic cigarette regulations.
• When: 9 a.m. Wednesday.
• Where: Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
The Clark County Board of Health will consider an ordinance to prohibit electronic cigarette use in public places where tobacco products are banned.
The board — county Councilors David Madore, Tom Mielke and Jeanne Stewart — will hold a public hearing on the ordinance during its monthly meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Public Service Center.
The proposed ordinance would extend the regulations under the statewide Smoking in Public Places law, formerly the Washington Clean Indoor Air Act, to include “inhalant delivery systems.” The ordinance defines inhalant delivery systems as devices used to deliver liquid nicotine, or other liquids or solids, in the form of vapor or aerosol to a person inhaling from the device. That includes electronic cigarettes, e-cigars, e-cigarillos, e-pipes and e-hookahs.
The Smoking in Public Places law prohibits smoking in public places, places of employment and within 25 feet of exits, entrances and windows of buildings. A handful of other local jurisdictions across the state have passed ordinances to extend the state regulations to vapor devices.
• Who: Clark County Board of Health.
• What: Public hearing on electronic cigarette regulations.
• When: 9 a.m. Wednesday.
• Where: Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
The board of health declares in the ordinance that new and unregulated inhalant delivery systems “present a threat to public health.”
Clinical studies about the safety and efficacy of the products have not been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for the hundreds of brands of devices on the market. That means customers have no way of knowing if the products are safe, what types or concentrations of harmful chemicals the products contain, the dose of nicotine or other chemicals in the products and the toxicity of the vapor emissions, according to the ordinance.
The board of health asked Clark County Public Health staff to bring forward the ordinance after hearing from business owners who want direction on the use of the devices — businesses can legally prohibit the devices — and growing concerns that people are using the devices for marijuana.
This isn’t the first time the board has considered restrictions on electronic cigarettes and other inhalant devices.
In June 2011, the board of health passed an ordinance that banned the sale of electronic vapor devices to minors. At that time, the public health department also proposed extending restrictions under the Smoking in Public Places law to include the electronic devices.
The board, however, decided not to take further action.
