SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane Regional Health District’s Board of Health voted unanimously Thursday to pass regulations restricting vaping in public places.
People in Spokane County will be prohibited from vaping in public places and places of employment starting July 1, 2016, according to health officials. Spokane County is the sixth county in the state to pass these regulations.
This will include indoor spaces and places of employment like restaurants, movie theaters and outdoor areas within 25 feet of doors, windows and ventilation intakes, according to health leaders. Vaping will also be prohibited on patios and other outdoor seating and dining areas. Businesses will have to update their signs to include prohibiting vaping.
Board members cited concerns that vapor can contain nicotine, heavy metals, ultra-fine particles, toxic chemicals and cancer causing agents. They said vaping devices can be used with any number of substances, including marijuana and synthetic drugs. As a result, bystanders are exposed to unknown harmful agents.
Officials said there will be one exemption to the resolution. As a result of recently passed legislation, tasting and sampling vaping devices and products in licensed outlets.