By way of the consent agenda, Asheville City Council intends to regulate e-cigarettes to the same extent as regular cigarettes. Why?

While the long term health effects of exposure to 2nd hand vapors emitted from e-cigarettes are unknown, according to a Study conducted by the Federal Drug and Food Administration, on 2 leading e-cigarette brands, there was evidence of toxic chemicals in both. Critics point to studies revealing that exhaling vapors from e-cigarettes releases measurable amounts of carcinogens and toxins into the air. Finally, in the last six months, there have been battery explosions either during charging of the e-cigarette or while in use.

In the interest of fairness, then, we need to ban anything toxic in “measurable amounts,” as well as any load that can explode a battery – like cell phones and laptops.