“What we didn’t do is account for e-cigarettes,” he said. “You walk into a restaurant and there is somebody puffing away on an e-cig and spewing God knows what into the atmosphere.

“I just think, if we have banned smoking in restaurants, it is logical that we ban e-cigarettes in restaurants as well.”

The bill also would bar e-cigarette use in such areas as elevators, cashier lines, schools and school buses and day care centers.

Jay Taylor, owner of the Voltage Vapin’ store in Chesterfield County, contends it is unfair to lump e-cigs with conventional cigarettes. His store sells various electronic cigarettes and “vaping” products.

Research indicates that e-cigs contain far fewer toxins and carcinogens than conventional cigarettes, said Taylor, who is acting president of the Smoke Free Association.

Public health groups say that, because e-cigarettes are not regulated, there is no way to know what ingredients they might contain and their health risk.

The devices do not produce smoke from burning tobacco. Instead, they heat a liquid solution of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin and nicotine, producing a vapor that the user inhales. The practice has come to be known as “vaping.”