Letter to Anthony Foxx, Secretary for the Department of Transportation - E-Cigarettes on Airlines

Letter

I write today regarding a September 15, 2011 rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation that would amend the general regulatory authority language in 14 CFR Part 252 to explicitly ban the use of electronic cigarettes on scheduled intrastate, interstate and foreign flights.

On June 10, 2014, I requested that you expeditiously finalize this important rule. I am disappointed that it has now been over a year since that letter and nearly four years since the rule was first proposed and it has not been finalized. I understand that most, if not all, domestic airlines do not allow the use of e-cigarettes on their flights. But federal law is not clear in this respect and it should be amended so that the use of e-cigarettes aboard aircraft is explicitly banned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported serious concerns about the health effects of the use of e-cigarettes. In fact, potentially harmful ingredients have been documented in some e-cigarettes, including irritants, toxins known to damage cellular DNA, and animal carcinogens. Because the safety of e-cigarette use, especially over time, is not well understood by the scientific community, it is critical that we take caution by protecting users and those exposed secondhand.

In addition, CDC has also reported that a large number of poison-related cases have been linked to e-cigarette liquids, which can be toxic. A recent report from CDC shows that e-cigarette use among teenagers has more-than tripled in just one year. E-cigarette cartridges typically contain flavoring along with the highly-addictive drug nicotine, among other ingredients, which are delivered to the user through a battery-powered device that converts the liquid to an aerosol. Children who have come in contact with e-cigarette liquids have experienced nausea and vomiting, sometimes requiring emergency room visits.

Frankly, is it is unacceptable that this rule was first proposed almost four years ago and it has yet to be finalized. I urge you to immediately finalize the rule to ensure federal law is clear and e-cigarette use on aircrafts is banned. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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