Submarine Smoking Ban Announced
It looks like the potential ban on smoking aboard submarines we discussed last week is the real deal. According to this article at navy.mil, COMSUBFOR sent out a message announcing that smoking would be banned as of the end of the year. Excerpts:
The smoking ban, announced via naval message, will become effective no later than Dec. 31, 2010.
The impetus behind the change of policy is the health risks to non-smokers, specifically exposure to secondhand smoke.
“Our Sailors are our most important asset to accomplishing our missions. Recent testing has proven that, despite our atmosphere purification technology, there are unacceptable levels of secondhand smoke in the atmosphere of a submerged submarine. The only way to eliminate risk to our non-smoking Sailors is to stop smoking aboard our submarines,” said Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly, COMSUBFOR…
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