We have the best fresh air in the nation

To the editor:

I can’t express enough how nice it is to be able to breathe clean, smoke-free air in my town, thanks to our local smoke-free ordinance.

For the first time in 40 years we are now dining out in a couple of the local bars that have good food and clean air. I know they appreciate the extra business and I am spreading the word to my friends and customers about their new opportunities here in their own town. If you don’t have to drive to the next town or all the way to the city for dinner, you just cut your carbon emissions — good for your health and the planet — and you just beefed up your local economy and saved time. Smoke-free is exponentially good for a healthy body and a healthy economy!

But what about e-cigarettes? They might seem innocuous as they are odorless and don’t fill up ashtrays, but they do pollute the air for nonsmokers. If you sprayed fragrance-free hair spray in a public space you would be polluting the air around you with a barrage of chemicals that could cause an allergic reaction in some folks. E-cigarettes are much the same with the exception that studies have shown some to contain carcinogens and nicotine in their emissions. Without some form of regulation we have no way of knowing if the brand used by a patron is polluting our breathing space with these emissions. That kind of regulation is a federal issue.

We can help prevent this problem by establishing smoke-free regulations at the state level and set a standard for local legislation to follow.

No one wants to breathe in carcinogens. Nicotine? It’s an addictive substance that people have a choice to burden themselves with. But the public air space belongs to people who have a choice not to breathe their pollution. Please consider regulations to treat e-cigarettes as we do tobacco-based cigarettes. If the state buildings are smoke-free, why shouldn’t the state provide comprehensive regulations for a smoke-free Alaska? We have the best fresh air in the nation.

Brooke G. Heppinstall

Palmer