E-cigarettes ‘pose poison threat to young children’

Electronic cigarettes have sickened rising numbers of young children, a study of US poison centre calls has found.

Most cases involve swallowing liquid nicotine.

While most children were not seriously harmed, one child died and several had severe complications including comas and seizures.

“This is an epidemic by any definition,” said lead author D. Gary Smith, director of the Centre for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The researchers say the results highlight a need for better parent awareness about the importance of keeping the devices out of sight and reach of youngsters.

They also recommend stricter regulation and applauded long-awaited restrictions the US Food and Drug Administration issued last Thursday.

The study examined calls about exposure to nicotine and tobacco products among children under age 6 from January 2012 through April 2015.

The most worrying findings involved e-cigarettes — battery-powered devices that turn nicotine into an inhalable vapour.

Some feature colorful packaging and flavoured nicotine that can attract young children.

The results were published yesterday in the journal Paediatrics.

Monthly calls about children swallowing, inhaling or touching e-cigarettes climbed from 14 early on to 223 by the study’s end.

Calls totalled 4,128 during the study. Most children were age two or younger.

The cases represent 14 percent of the nearly 30,000 calls about kids’ exposure to nicotine and tobacco products during that time.