E-cigarettes and battery-powered vaporizers can be hazardous to your health, and not just for the obvious reasons.
So says the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The FMCSA Thursday, Aug. 4 issued a safety advisory to truck drivers and operators of other commercial motor vehicles warning them of the safety risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes and battery-powered vaporizers. The agency wrote:
“The use of battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices has resulted in incidents including explosions, serious personal injuries, and fires. The explosions regularly involved the ejection of a burning battery case or other components from the device which subsequently ignited nearby flammable or combustible materials.
“The Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations do not specifically address the potential safety risks posed by battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices. However, motor carriers and drivers should be cognizant of the risks associated with these devices and exercise good judgment and appropriate discretion in their possession, storage, and charging or use on, around, or while operating a CMV, and adhere to the smoking prohibitions on, near, or when loading and unloading a motor vehicle transporting hazardous materials in accordance with 49 CFR 177.834(c) and 397.13.”
Click here to read the full Safety Advisory.
There are also new regulations ahead for e-cigarettes and vaporizers.
