E-Cigarettes Pose Significant Danger to Small Children

As sales of electronic cigarettes have skyrocketed—analysts project that by 2017, vaping and e-cigarettes will be a $10 billion industry—so have the number of injuries reported by users. Most of the concerns thus far have been tied to defective heating coils, batteries and exploding devices, but safety officials say the product also poses a significant risk of injury to small children.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responding to numerous complaints by citizens and child safety advocates, is currently investigating safety options for the products. The primary concern? That toddlers are being poisoned by e-juice, the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes. FDA officials say that, because e-juice comes in small and colorful bottles, and because e-juice comes in flavors that appeal to small children, such as chocolate, fruit, candy and bubble gum, that many children have perceived the juice to be a form of candy, and have ingested it, leading to accidental nicotine poisoning. One study showed that the number of reported incidences of a tot swallowing e-juice went up by 1,500% over the last two years.

Nicotine poisoning can be serious in a small child, leading to nausea and vomiting, hypertension, dizziness and even seizures. Those seizures can last as long as 30 minutes and can be life threatening. Safety advocates have asked the FDA to require that e-juice come in child-proof bottles and that the labels include clear and substantial warnings about the dangers to small children.

Contact Our Office

For a free initial consultation, contact attorney Howard D. Popper online or call us at 973-993-8787. We have office locations in Morristown and Newton, but will visit you in your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We take all personal injury claims on a contingency basis. We won’t charge attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.