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Liquid nicotine and e-cigarette exposure calls to poison centers show no signs of plateauing
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) December 12, 2014
The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) supports federal legislation to mandate the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission require child-proof packaging for liquid nicotine sold to consumers in light of the possible death of a 1-year-old Fort Plain, New York, boy, according to an article published Dec. 11, 2014, in the Albany Times Union. The currently proposed bipartisan, bicameral legislation, Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, would allow and direct the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to require child-proof packaging for liquid nicotine sold to consumers.
One teaspoon of liquid nicotine could be lethal to a child, and smaller amounts can cause severe illness, often requiring trips to the emergency department. Despite the dangers these products pose to children, there are currently no standards set in place that require child-proof packaging. By addressing this void, the legislation would work to protect children from ingesting or encountering liquid nicotine in the future.
AAPCC President Jay L. Schauben, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT noted that “Since early 2013, we have seen an increase in liquid nicotine and e-cigarette exposure calls to poison centers that show no signs of plateauing in the immediate future. The Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act is a common sense means towards preventing a second unnecessary and avoidable death.”
In 2012, poison centers across the country received 460 exposure calls attributed to liquid nicotine and e-cigarettes. That number more than tripled in 2013 to 1,543 with slightly more than half of those reported exposures occurring in young children under the age of six. With less than a month left in 2014, the numbers have again more than doubled, with 3,638 exposure calls to poison centers through Nov. 30.
To access AAPCC’s e-cigarette and liquid nicotine exposure data, please visit the Alerts section at http://www.aapcc.org/alerts/e-cigarettes/.
Please note that all NPDS data reported by AAPCC for 2014 is considered preliminary as it is possible that a poison center may update a patient case as new information is obtained.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, AAPCC associate manager, Public Relations and Member Services, at 703.894.1865 or schuster(at)aapcc(dot)org.
AAPCC supports the nation’s 55 poison center members in their efforts to treat and prevent drug, consumer product, animal, environmental and food poisoning. Members staff the Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222 that provides free, confidential, expert medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year from toxicology specialists, including nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and poison information providers. In addition, AAPCC maintains the only poison information and surveillance database in the United States, providing real-time monitoring of unusual poisoning patterns, chemical exposures and other emerging public health hazards. AAPCC partners with federal agencies such as EPA, HRSA and the CDC, as well as private industry.
To learn more, visit http://www.aapcc.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@AAPCC), or read our blog at aapcc.wordpress.com.
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