Health Risks of E-Devices (Page 2)

“A teaspoon of that solution could potentially kill a child, there’s no doubt.”

Kids are the biggest worry — as little as a teaspoon of highly concentrated liquid nicotine could cause serious harm, said Lee Cantrell, director of the San Diego division of the California poison control system. Reports of poisonings in kids jumped 10-fold at his site in the past 14 months.

“I went online and found some retailers selling concentrations of 7.2 percent nicotine in 100-milliliter bottles,” Cantrell said. “A teaspoon of that solution could potentially kill a child, there’s no doubt.”

Because of the high concentration of nicotine, the very toxic liquid can be extremely dangerous if someone touches it or accidentally swallows it. The fluid that contains nicotine can cause illness just by being absorbed into the skin.

The assistant director of California's Poison Control Centers, Dr. Cyrus Rangan, says, "Poison control centers across the country have been reporting that young children have been getting into these, and, with just a few drops of exposure, a very young child could become very toxic and require hospitalization."

Children across the country have been rushed to emergency rooms after drinking the liquid, which may smell sweet and have flavors like bubble gum and green apple.  E-cigarettes are particularly appealing to children and adolescents because they are widely available in candy and fruit flavors such as cotton candy and grape, as well as flavors that mimic popular children’s products, such as breakfast cereal flavors.

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