E-Cigarettes, Vaping and Chew FAQ's

Even though there are less cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarettes compared to tobacco, they contain chemicals that are far from benign, e.g., formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, is formed during inhalation in tank system e-cigarettes.  Nicotine can lead to severe neurodevelopmental impairments in young users, is highly addictive, and can prime the brain to be more prone to addiction of other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine.  A solvent known as propylene glycol is known to cause lung disease. Second hand exposure to vapor clouds exposes other to harmful chemicals.

Not only can smokeless tobacco result in similar physiological disorders as cigarettes, smokeless tobacco has been found to damage pivotal metabolic enzymes². The use of smokeless tobacco has been proven to cause DNA mutations that can lead to pancreatic cancer, oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and more³.

The policy encompasses all of Marquette University.  This includes all indoor and outdoor campus spaces including campus buildings, grounds, exterior open spaces, green spaces, parking lots (including inside a vehicle if parked in an MU lot), university-owned or leased vehicles, on-campus sidewalks (not bordering a city street), on-campus driveways and other paved areas, athletic facilities, practice facilities, and recreational spaces. 

On July 19, 2019 an ordinance was passed by the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee stating that the use of electronic smoking devices and electronic smoking device paraphernalia is not allowed in places where smoking is prohibited by state law, i.e. within all university buildings, per Wisconsin Act 12, with penalties to apply.

Tobacco is defined to include any lighted cigarette (clove, bidis, kreteks), cigars, cigarillos, pipes, hookah products, and any other smoking product. This also includes any smokeless, spit or spit less, dissolvable, or inhaled tobacco products; including but not limited to dip, chew, snuff or snus, in any form (orbs, sticks pellets, etc.)³. Nicotine products not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a smoking cessation product, such as e-cigarettes, are also prohibited.

Vaping is indeed banned on campus, as it is not only a nicotine product but also produces vapor clouds that affect others. Electronic nicotine delivery tanks contain an unknown level of toxic chemicals. With the surge of electronic nicotine systems and no existing government regulation of the ingredients, research is ongoing to identify the toxic chemicals contained within the tanks⁶.

This policy affects everyone who enters Marquette University property. This includes staff, faculty, students, employees, visitors.

(n.d.). Health risks of secondhand smoke: What is secondhand smoke? American Cancer Society. 
Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/secondhand-smoke.html

(2007). IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans: Smokeless tobacco and some tobacco-specific n-nitrosamines (Vol. 89). Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Rimer, S. (n.d.). Behind the vapor: Chasing the facts about e-cigarettes health risks. Boston University Research. Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/research/articles/behind-the-vapor/

(n.d.). Smokeless tobacco: Health effects. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/
smokeless/health_effects/index.htm

Stöppler, M. C. (n.d.). Chewing tobacco (Smokeless tobacco, snuff). MedicineNet. Retrieved from www.medicinenet.com/smokeless_tobacco/article.htm

Vapentine, L. (2016, September 22). E-cigarettes vs. vaporizers: What's the difference? Vapor4Life. Retrieved from www.vapor4life.com/blog/e-cigarettes-vs-vaporizers-whats-difference/