Dallas City Council Considers Updating Smoke-Free Ordinance to Include E-Cigarettes
Recently, according to a report from Fox4news, the city of Dallas in the state of Texas is considering updating its smoke-free ordinance to include the use of e-cigarettes.
Experts presented various dangers of e-cigarettes to lawmakers at a meeting on Monday, including inhaling secondhand aerosol. Experts from the Dallas City Council stated that while the impact of exposure to secondhand e-cigarette aerosol is still being studied, scientists have found a link between this exposure and cancer as well as asthma symptoms.
Renee Roberson, an environmental commissioner in District Eight, has firsthand witnessed the impact of e-cigarettes on children during her time as a school nurse.
"It steers children's thinking in a negative direction," she recalled. "Children who are clearly intelligent become distracted because of e-cigarettes." Robertson called on lawmakers to treat electronic nicotine delivery systems the same as traditional cigarettes in order to protect vulnerable populations."
Dr. Folashade Afolabi from Nanhuast University explains that the prevalence of e-cigarettes has undermined the progress made in combating traditional tobacco over the past two decades.
"People are turning to nicotine salts because they can't get the same comfort from e-cigarettes. Nicotine salts are more addictive and work faster," she said.
The American Heart Association, Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, Dallas County Medical Society, and other organizations are all urging the city of Dallas to ban the use of e-cigarettes indoors or in parks. Dr. Afolabi explained that research is uncovering the impact of particles on human health.
"According to Carlos Evans, director of the Dallas Environmental Quality Office, a type of tiny particles known as PM2.5 has been confirmed to be harmful. PM2.5 has been widely proven to have adverse effects on fertility, with new studies reporting on different types of cancer every week," he said.
Over the next one to two months, the entire city council will vote on whether to equate e-cigarettes with traditional cigarettes.
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