Once upon a time, doing it was allowed in airplanes. Then came a time when you can do it with someone at the back of the plane or on select flights. Then people started doing it in lavatories, but such act was later deemed a sin. Then a total ban on all flights and public transportation was enacted. Then a replacement was provided, offering to simulate the sensation without the risks. No I'm not talking about the mile-high club.

The e-cigarette is an electrical device that simulates tobacco smoking by producing an inhaled mist bearing the physical sensation, appearance, and often the flavor and nicotine content of inhaled tobacco smoke. The smokeless non-tobacco cigarette provides the flavor and nicotine content of inhaled tobacco smoke but without the health risks.

Now the U.S. Department of Transportation wants to ban on the use of electronic cigarettes on airline flights over concerns about the risks of other passengers breathing vapors from the devices.

Although the proposed ban covers only flights within the U.S. and to and from the U.S., a ban could set a domino effect of similar rulings in other countries.

"Airline passengers have rights, and this new rule would enhance passenger comfort and reduce any confusion surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes in flight," Transportation Secretary LaHood said in a statement.

Electronic cigarettes are designed to deliver nicotine or other substances to the smoker in the form of a vapor. E-cigarettes take different forms, including but not limited to electronic cigars, pipes and devices designed to look like everyday products such as pens.
The department, in a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on Thursday, said electronic cigarettes cause potential concern because there is a lack of scientific data and knowledge of the ingredients in electronic cigarettes.

The department views its current regulatory ban on smoking of tobacco products to be sufficiently broad to include the use of electronic cigarettes. Smoking was banned on U.S. airline flights in 2000.

The new proposal would apply to all scheduled flights of U.S. and foreign carriers involving transportation to and from the U.S.The U.S. Air Force has already placed e-cigarettes in the same category as tobacco products. The U.S Navy has banned electronic cigarettes below decks in submarines. Further, several states in the U.S. have taken steps to ban either the sale or use of electronic cigarettes. Some airlines have decided on their own to ban e-cigarettes, said Steve Lott, spokesman for the industry's Washington-based trade group, the Air Transport Association, according to Bloomberg News.

A shipment of electronic cigarettes was linked to a fire aboard a FedEx Corp. (FDX) cargo flight on Aug. 14, 2009, that landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration, Bloomberg news said. Lithium batteries in the devices ignited, the report said.

Aside from nicotine, e-cigarettes usually contain propylene glycol to aid the vaporization process. Propylene glycol, which is used as a food additive, can cause "acute" irritation in the respiratory system, the transportation department said.

The health effects of e-cigarettes though are still unknown, and several studies on their long-term effects are still in progress.

An article published July 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine acknowledges that the effects of inhaling propylene glycol have not been adequately studied in humans. The World Health Organization in 2008 said that "no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective nicotine replacement therapy" but it didn't point to any study backs claims that e-cigarettes are hazardous to health.

Given that the possible benefits or adverse effects of e-cigarette use remain contentious, is a ban on e-cigarettes on flights premature? Or is the pre-emptive strike against e-cigarettes on flights the right thing?

Tell us what you think...