Melissa S. Razdrih
More than 100 laws are going into effect Monday, and one of them impacts Florida fans of vaping.
According to Home Business, the global value of the vaping industry will reach $45 billion over the course of the next four years. But while the number of people vaping tobacco products continues to rise, the state of Florida is cracking down.
Starting July 1, a law goes into effect that carries out the will of voters who voted in November to end vaping inside the workplace.
The legislation is an extension of the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, which was designed in 1985 to improve indoor air quality for Floridians. The vaping ban expands existing language that bans smoking in indoor workplaces to include vaping tobacco products.
Among the top concerns of Tobacco Free Florida is normalizing indoor vaping will increase the number of youth tobacco users.
The Food and Drug Administration says e-cigarette use among high school students is up 78 percent in a year. In Florida, 1 in 4 high school students reports using e-cigarettes.
Earlier this year, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine published the results of a study on vaping. Their findings suggest “a link between the use of electronic cigarettes and the risk of development of mycobacteria-related lung infections”.
The infections can be significant and hard to treat. This is the latest in research reaffirming that there is no safe way to use tobacco products.
That said, there is evidence to support the idea that vaping is much safer than smoking cigarettes.
So, does second-hand vape really cause any significant damage?
Vaping advocates say “no way” but a small study by Wolfgang Schober of the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority casts doubt on that assertion.
Scientific American says of the findings, “vaping worsened indoor air quality, specifically by increasing the concentration of nicotine, particulate matter, PAHs and aluminum.” These compounds are linked with a number of health problems.
For millions of Florida workers, starting Monday they won’t have to worry about safety issues around vaping in the office place, and that’s a reason to breathe easier.
As for those who vape, they may have to start sharing outdoor smoking areas with traditional nicotine users, which is only a small inconvenience when compared to public health and safety.
3 comments
smokefree
July 3, 2019 at 1:34 am
It is about time that vaping will no longer be tolerated at workplaces. Vaping should not be permitted in any indoor location, and the sooner that occurs the closer Florida will catch up to the rest of the country. While some may claim that vaping is safer than conventional cigarettes, studies continue to be released that vaping has serious health concerns.
BJ
July 3, 2019 at 2:28 pm
I wonder how does this apply to a public place such as an indoor shopping mall? Although, a mall is a public gatheri g place, it also a work environment. As of today, July 3rd, I have witnessed a vape mall-kiosk employee vaping. Any idea how this might apply in relation to the term “workplace”?
smokefree
July 3, 2019 at 4:16 pm
That’s a great question. I’ve looked at the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act and under Title 29, Chapter 386, Section 207, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants or the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation shall enforce violations of the law. I don’t know if there is a grace period (or perhaps if there was one it has not expired) but if you see vaping taking place indoors I would contact the above authority and file a complaint. Although passing a law is great, and most people will abide by the law, if there has to be an enforcement leg to be effective in protecting the health and safety of the non-smoking, non-vaping population.
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