The U.S. National Park Service announced that the use of electronic cigarettes is now banned anywhere tobacco smoking is prohibited in the national parks. The new policy was issued in an effort to “protect employees and park visitors from the health hazards and annoyances associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, commonly known as secondhand smoke, which is a known human carcinogen.
The use of e-cigarettes will not be allowed in any government owned or leased vehicle including heavy equipment, watercraft or aircraft in the park. Vaping will also be prohibited in national park concession facilities and other buildings.
With the recent announcement, the National Park Service joined several other government agencies that have limited the use of e-cigarettes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a policy that prohibits vaping in all interior spaces of Fish and Wildlife vehicles and facilities, and in August 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey banned the use of e-cigarettes in all its “interior space, courtyards, atriums, balconies and bus stops.”
