New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), Chair of the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, today announced that her bill to extend the protections of New York State’s Clean Indoor Air Act to include e-cigarettes has become law. The Clean Indoor Air Act protects New Yorkers against exposure to second-hand smoke from traditional tobacco products in office buildings, restaurants, bars and other public spaces.

“E-cigarette use has exploded among young people in recent years,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “Banning their use in public spaces will help discourage our young people from using e cigarettes and will have the added benefit of protecting all New Yorkers from dangerous second- and third-hand exposure.”

E-cigarette use, referred to as vaping, has been steadily on the rise among all ages. The increased use is particularly troubling among young people: according to a 2016 report of the U.S. Surgeon General, vaping among high school students grew by 900% between 2011 and 2015.

Assemblymember Rosenthal partnered with statewide public health advocates, who worked together to pass the statewide bill. This standard will ensure that New Yorkers are protected against e cigarettes regardless of where they live. Until now, a patchwork of local laws regulated e-cigarette use in public spaces.

A 2015 Roswell Park Cancer Institute study found that e cigarettes expose users to carcinogens, in addition to nicotine, pesticides, formaldehyde and a host of other dangerous chemicals. A study by the World Health Organization concluded that people exposed to second-hand vapor from e-cigarettes absorb nicotine (measured as continine), and another study demonstrated that levels were comparable to those who were exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke.

The bill, which was sponsored by Kemp Hannon in the New York State Senate, will take effect in 30 days.

In 2014, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal passed a law to ban the sale of liquid nicotine to minors and to require it be sold in child resistant packaging. In 2012, she passed a law to ban the sale of e cigarettes to minors. Last year, she passed a law to prohibit e-cigarettes on school grounds, and is the sponsor of legislation, currently under consideration by the Governor, which would require e-cigarette retailers to register with the State of New York. Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal represents the 67th Assembly district, which includes the Upper West Side and parts of the Clinton/ Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods in Manhattan.