The number of calls to Poison Control Centers nationwide related to e-cigarettes has surged from 1 call per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report in the April 4th issue of Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. The liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes can be very hazardous, especially in children, because e-cigarettes are not required to be sold in childproof packaging and come in candy and fruit flavors that are appealing to children.
Poisonings from conventional cigarettes are usually caused by young children eating them. However, poisonings from e-cigarettes can occur in 3 ways: ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin. The most common signs of toxicity seen include nausea, vomiting, and eye irritation. Less frequent but more serious would be agitation, rapid breathing, difficult breathing, convulsions, coma.
It is important to understand that e-cigarettes are not innocuous and can cause substantial toxicities especially in young children.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN
Lobby your legislators to have e-cigarettes controlled by the FDA - to protect our children!