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PROVO -- The Utah County Board of Health unanimously approved a policy Monday that allows it to regulate hookah according to the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act.
Elsewhere in the state, hookah bars in their current form could become a thing of the past if a clarification to Utah's Indoor Clean Air act is approved.
Utah County Health Department Director Dr. Joseph Miner says Utah and Davis County health officials already passed regulations that keep hookah bars from opening their doors in their respective counties.
"Most hookah contains tobacco and the smoke created is a tobacco smoke. It's pretty obvious to most of us that this would be covered by the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act," said Miner.
But the actual state law is somewhat vague when it comes to regulating hookah smoke, which is created by heating up tobacco along with fruit and other ingredients and then smoking it through a water pipe.
The clarification to the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act has already been written up and now awaits public hearings.
The new wording basically says tobacco is regulated under the clean air act law whether you light it or heat it to smoke it in a public building.
The changes would still allow a hookah bar to offer ingredients that don't include tobacco, but miner says the reason most people smoke is for the tobacco.
Salt Lake County has several hookah bars that will be directly impacted if the clarification to the law is adopted.
Those who enjoy the hookah bars have argued in the past that because they are smoking water vapor it isn't nearly as harmful as cigarette smoke. Miner disagrees, saying hookah smoke both increases the risk of cancer and causes respiratory problems like any other form of tobacco smoking.
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Story compiled with contributions from Randall Jepesen and Andrew Adams.
