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Allegheny County Council passes indoor vaping ban

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The Allegheny County Council passed a controversial indoor vaping ban Tuesday evening in an 8-5 vote.

The council's Health and Human Services Committee voted last week to send the proposal to the full council with a neutral recommendation after motions to table it and to send it to council with a positive recommendation tied 4-4.

The ban prohibits vaping and e-cigarettes everywhere that cigarette smoking is not allowed, including indoor workplaces, schools, restaurants, health care-related properties, theaters, sports facilities and transit stations.

Prior to the vote, 20 people gave public comment, including Michelle Hall, who owns a vape shop in Dormont.

“It’s very disappointing, very disappointing because I feel they are putting aside any evidence that is supporting us,” she said.

Bill Godshall, of Smoke Free PA, echoed Hall’s thoughts.

“We've been campaigning to reduce cigarette smoking for 27 years. This is a huge setback for our campaign reduce cigarette smoking,” he said.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker both reacted positively to the passage of the e-cigarette regulations.

"I am proud that Allegheny County continues to focus on protecting our public health and ensuring that our community is one where quality of life is important,” Fitzgerald said in a written statement. “These measures, recommended by the Allegheny County Health Department and passed by the Board of Health, have made a statement that we value our public's health. I thank Dr. Hacker and the Board of Health for its work on this progressive legislation. It is initiatives like this that attract companies and talent to this region."

"We are pleased to see the County Council vote in favor of the ordinance to eliminate e-cigarettes and vaping from public indoor spaces where smoking is already prohibited. This ordinance puts Allegheny County in the company of over 500 jurisdictions that have already passed similar regulations,” Hacker said in a written statement.

Four of the leading health advocacy organizations in the country -- the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids -- also issued a statement following the vote:

"Pennsylvania's health advocacy organizations are celebrating the passage of legislation that will restrict the use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is prohibited in Allegheny County. We're grateful that those who live or work in Allegheny County will no longer be exposed to potentially unsafe secondhand aerosol emitted from electronic cigarettes where smoking is already prohibited under Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act.
 
"The US Surgeon General weighed-in in a 2016 report confirming that the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless. According to the US Surgeon General, the aerosol can contain harmful and potentially harmful chemicals, including nicotine; ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavoring such (as) diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead."
 
"We applaud the county council for putting public health first and making this common sense step forward. We look forward to continuing to work with the state legislature to strengthen Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act statewide by eliminating exemptions in the current law."  
 

Cox Media Group

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