BART Votes To Ban E-Cigs on Trains

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Wednesday praised the BART Board of Directors for moving to ban electronic cigarettes in BART trains and stations, citing new research that reveals health concerns about the vaporized tobacco products.

In a letter to BART board President Thomas Blalock, Boxer, D-California, cited the presence of chemicals like nicotine and formaldehyde present in e-cigarette vapor that pose a risk to health.

“Research has raised major concerns about secondhand exposure to e-cigarette vapor,” Boxer wrote. “This is particularly relevant in small, enclosed spaces such as trains and stations, leading the World Health Organization to recommend that steps be taken to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors in public and work places.”

Boxer’s letter comes the same day that the California Department of Public Health issued a health advisory about e-cigarettes, warning use of the products is rising for teens and young adults and exposure to the vapor could lead to cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

E-cigarettes contain at least 10 chemicals known to the state of California to cause health problems, according to the health department. It plans to take steps to reduce e-cigarette use through education and advertising campaigns.

The BART board voted to ban the use of e-cigarettes in the BART system at its meeting last Thursday.

The board said it had received complaints of e-cigarettes on the system, prompting them to introduce the regulations. The new restrictions are expected to be finalized at the board’s Feb. 12 meeting.

--Bay City News

--Image via Shutterstock

Also on Patch:

• Walk The Red Carpet At STAND!’s Academy Awards Benefit Party On Feb. 22
• First Batch Of Peninsula, East Bay Birds Found Covered In ‘Mystery Goo’ To Be Released
• Cuz It’s All About The Dips: ‘Supreme Pizza’ and ‘Hoagie’ Dips For Super Bowl Parties
• Makers of Green Coffee Bean Weight Loss Pills Featured on Dr. Oz Must Pay $9 Million for False Claims
• Next Month, Red Cross Calls For Blood Donors As Unique As The Patients They Help