This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Like many public and private facilities, national parks are grappling with whether electronic cigarettes and other similar nicotine delivery systems pose a health threat.
This week, the National Park Service proposed revisions to the regulations allowing a superintendent to close an area, building, structure or facility to smoking that includes the use of these devices.
"Protecting the health and safety of our visitors and employees is one of the most critical duties of the National Park Service," said Michael Reynolds, Acting Director of the National Park Service, in a release issued Thursday. "It is clear from a recent rule by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a report by the Surgeon General that electronic cigarettes are a threat to public health, especially to the health of young people."
This goes along with a 2016 ruling by the FDA bringing the electronic devices in line with regulations that have governed tobacco products since 2009.
The National Park Service currently prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes within all government owned facilities and vehicles and within all national park concessions facilities.