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Supervisors Ban E-Cigarettes In Placer County Buildings And Vehicles

PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — The practice of inhaling E-cigarettes in parts of Placer County is going up in smoke as officials took steps on Tuesday to ban them from public buildings.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted to ban them in all county buildings and vehicles while they say they're trying to educate residents that E-cigarettes aren't a healthy alternative to smoking.

At Clock Town Smoke Shop in Auburn, Rob Beadle says people are confused. He believes E-cigarettes are a healthier alternative to smoking.

"They see it and they think it's smoke," he said. "It's just water vapor."

But Placer County supervisors and the county's health division says there's more to vaping than meets the eye.

"People think it's just water vapor coming out of these but there are 10 known carcinogens in that vapor and they also produce small particles of metals from the battery," said Michael Romero, with the public health division.

The county now joins 75 other counties and cities placing bans on E-cigarettes.

Beadles believes that may be premature.

"Right now there's not an actual government study that shows these cause problems," he said.

But in a report last year, the World Health Organization called for legal steps in ending the used of E-cigarettes in workplaces and public places, citing airborne toxins.

Romero says it's important the county acts now.

"I think it's important that policy makers, individuals, and parents to determine now and maybe get ahead of it," she said.

The ban goes into effect on April 24.

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