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E Cigarette Ban by DOT—Comments Closed
As of November 14, comments have been closed on the Department of Transportation's website in regard to the Docket DOT-OST-2011-0044, which is a proposed ban of e cigarette use on airplanes.
Root Issues of the E-Cigarette Ban Proposal
For more than 20 years now, smoking cigarettes and cigars has been banned on airplanes. This particular ban is due to undeniable health risks that fellow passengers are exposed to when traveling with a smoker—the very same health risks that the e-cigarette is designed to prevent. At the same time, nebulizing equipment designed to deliver medication in a vapor form is being allowed on airplanes, as they present no verifiable risk to fellow passengers. Ironically, many of the medications delivered through nebulizers present many health risks to the user, chiefly heart and cardiovascular problems.
The Assumptions Behind the E-Cig Ban Proposal
The language of the Department of Transportation's e-cig docket is couched in the language of airline passenger rights and safety concerns. The essential basis of the argument is that electronic cigarettes are more similar to tobacco products than nebulizers, and that there is insufficient scientific evidence to suggest that they are safe to those around the user. They also want to clear up any confusion about their stance on tobacco products with this proposal.
Problems with Banning E-Cigs with This Docket
The language in the document implies that the user “smokes” e-cigs. As everyone knows, smoke implies fire, fire is not involved with using these products. They have even been referred to as smokeless cigarettes. The construction and operation of the delivery system is more similar to a nebulizer than a tobacco product. Any scientific proof of the safety of electronic cigarette use should be compared more to the safety of nebulized medication use than to tobacco products. If medications that can cause heart and cardiovascular problems are safe on airplanes based on the delivery method, then it follows that e cigarettes are equally as safe.
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