Fed Reports Rise in Liquid Nicotine Poisonings

A massive rise in poison center calls involving electronic cigarettes has occurred in the last few years, according to federal health officials.

According to a the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 215 poison center calls involving the liquid nicotine that is used by electronic cigarettes were made in February of this year alone.

That statistic is the current height of poison center calls involved liquid nicotine, rising from an estimated one call per month back 2010.

In a study of poison center calls associated with the world "cigarette," electronic cigarettes and the liqid nicotine they use were found to be directly associated with a huge jump in overall poison center calls. According to the report, the proportion of "cigarette" calls involving e-cigarettes rose from a mere 0.3 percent in September of 2010, to 41.7 percent of calls in February 2014, reflecting that an increase in popularity of electronic cigarette use as directly associated with an increase in suspected poisonings involving the devices.

More than 51 percent of the poison center calls involved children under the age of five.

Last month, toxicologists from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) warned that the concentrated levels of nicotine found in the liquid that is "vaporized" by electronic cigarettes could prove potentially harmful to children, resulting in severe vomiting and even death. The AAPCC also reported an increase in emergency room cases of child-ingested liquid nicotine last year.

The recent CDC report explained that liquid nicotine poisonings resulted from ingestion or absorption through the eyes. Absorption through the skin can even result in a poisoning if left in contact long enough.

According to the report, poisoning can be deadly if not immediately treated. One individual even managed to commit suicide with liquid nicotine, injecting a significant amount of it directly into the bloodstream.

Electronic cigarettes and their nicotine cartridges are currently not regulated by the FDA, and experts have warned that the pleasant smelling liquid nicotine can be particularly attractive to young children who are unable to differentiate it from juices or other beverages.

As things stand, the best option for parents would be to keep liquid nicotine and nicotine cartridges out of reach from children and pets.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report was published on April 4.