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<br /> Orange County Board of Health tables vote on proposed e-cig ban <br /> Keith Upchurch <br /> Updated Apr 30, 2016 <br /> <br />Vaporizers, sometimes called e-cigarettes, are being sold to underage consumers online despite laws against it. (Associated Press/Nam Y. Huh) <br />HILLSBOROUGH -- The Orange County Board of Health delayed a vote this week on a proposal to ban <br />electronic cigarette smoking in enclosed areas of restaurants and bars. <br />The board heard from the community on the proposed rule and reviewed comments submitted from an <br />online survey, voicemail, email and U.S. mail, according to Stacy Shelp, communications manager for the <br />Orange County Health Department. <br />At the end of the meeting at Hillsborough’s Whitted Building, the board decided to table the vote until <br />after the U.S. surgeon general releases a report this summer or fall about the health impact of so-called <br />e-cigs. <br />"Ultimately, the Board of Health will continue to read the existing research, weigh the public opinions <br />shared, and then assess the most up-to-date data from the surgeon general's report to make their <br />decision on this as a public health issue in Orange County," Shelp said. <br />According to a statement by the Board of Health, board members became concerned about e-cigs <br />because of what it described as their "alarming popularity among youth." <br />"Although most adults who use e-cigarettes are looking for an alternative to conventional cigarettes or <br />are trying to quit smoking, e-cigarettes are contributing to an overall increase in tobacco use among <br />youth," according to the board. <br />Figures from 2015 show that about four of 10 local high school students have tried an e-cig, and two of <br />10 are current users.