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National Park Service Bans Electronic Cigarettes

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Heading out for an adventure at one of America's beautiful national parks? Leave your electronic cigarette in the car.

The National Park Service today banned the use of "electronic smoking devices," including e-cigarettes, in all places where tobacco smoking is prohibited in America's 408 national parks. The new policy is effective immediately.

"Protecting the health and safety of our visitors and employees is one of the most critical duties of the National Park Service," Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in a statement. "We are therefore extending the restrictions currently in place protecting visitors and employees from exposure to tobacco smoke to include exposure to vapor from electronic smoking devices."

Under the new policy, e-cigarettes and other so-called "electronic nicotine delivery systems" (ENDS) are banned within all facilities and vehicles that are government-owned and leased and within all national park concessions facilities. So, when you see a no smoking sign in a national park, that means no vaping either.

In a statement, the National Park Service said that vapor exhaled from e-cigarettes contains about one-tenth the nicotine found in second-hand smoke.

"Nicotine is highly addictive, toxic to developing fetuses, and impairs fetal brain and lung development," the agency said. "Recent public health studies suggest that ENDS aerosols can also contain heavy metals, ultrafine particulates, and cancer-causing agents."

Meanwhile, e-cigs aren't the only tech devices on the national park naughty list. The National Park Service also recently banned the use of personal drones throughout Yosemite National Park because of their possible interference with the animals there.

Last year, U.S. Forest Service officials in Lake Tahoe were forced to warn hikers not to take selfies with bears.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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