As e-cigarette sales rise in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the rate of child nicotine poisoning is hitting an all-time high. According to the CDC, child nicotine poisoning rose by 32 percent between April 2022 and March of this year.
That number, according to Gundersen Health System pediatric allergist and immunologist Dr. Todd Mahr, could be just the beginning.
“The difficulty is that these are probably underreported, so that’s what’s scary,” he said. “There are more of these that occur than we know about. These are just the reports that actually make it to the poison centers.”
In 2016, a law was passed that required manufacturers to make refillable vape cartridges child-proof, but the law doesn't require them to child-proof disposable e-cigarette devices, which are most widely used.
“At home right now, people who are using e-cigarettes or vaping may have a variety of these things around, and they’re at great risk to have this fall into the hands of young children,” Dr. Mahr said.
Many vaping products are designed with flavor names that attract children, and they’re free from the foul smell and taste of traditional cigarettes. However, they’re loaded with chemicals that aren’t meant for children to ingest. Those two factors have led to the number of poisonings doubling, with a number of children – most under the age of 5 – ending up in the emergency room.
“That tells you, they model after adult behavior,” Dr. Mahr said. “They see mom or dad puffing on something like this, and they think it’s perfectly fine and they should play with it and start puffing on it. We’ve locally taken away vape pens from fourth graders in school.”
Signs a child may have ingested vape liquid include dizziness, vomiting, GI symptoms and possible hallucinations. Over time, repeated ingestions can lead to addictions, and there are no studies out there that show how nicotine affects a child’s developing brain.
At the very least, Dr. Mahr suggests keeping vaping devices out of the reach of children, but the better choice is not to have them around at all.
“The message to anybody using these devices is, you should consider quitting yourself. They’re not good for you. There’s nothing good about any of these devices,” he said. “But also, consider the unintended consequences of you having them in the home with a young child, that they can fall into the hands of the young child.”