Vaping-related injuries emerged as a public health crisis in 2019, with thousands of users suffering severe lung problems that required hospitalization.
»FROM DECEMBER: 'Vast majority' of vaping illnesses blamed on vitamin E
But in addition to people who inhale from the devices, another group is at risk from ingesting the nicotine-rich liquids: toddlers.
The situation
Data from the nation's 55 poison control centers indicate that at least 1,892 children ages 5 or under were exposed to vaping liquids in 2018, in most cases by swallowing them.
The consequences for a toddler-age child ingesting vaping liquids could be devastating or even fatal.
Symptoms include vomiting and, in a small percentage of cases, irregular heartbeat and seizures.
One child died in 2014 after drinking from a refill bottle.
The numbers for toddlers exposed in 2019 have not yet been published, but as of Nov. 30, total vaping-related calls to poison centers for patients of all ages had hit 4,784 — the highest number on record.
Why it matters
The numbers illustrate that, as with so many other toxic substances, adults often fail to keep them out of reach of those who are most vulnerable, said Robert A. Bassett, associate medical director of the Poison Control Center at CHOP.
“Many people are very concerned about their child getting into their bleach or their laundry pods," Bassett said. "But based on how little it takes for nicotine to be deadly for a child, nicotine has the potential to be the most lethal agent in someone's home.”
‘The tip of the iceberg’
The number of toddlers who ingest vaping liquids is almost certainly far higher than the 2,000 or so cases reported to poison centers each year, said Daniel E. Brooks, medical director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center at Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix. When such children are taken straight to the emergency room, poison control centers generally are not notified.
“The numbers that we have, they're just the tip of the iceberg,” Brooks said.
By drinking nicotine-containing fluids, toddlers are consuming the stimulant much faster than an adult who inhales. Nicotine is highly irritating to the digestive system, so toddlers may vomit most of it up before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
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But the nicotine in vaping liquids is so concentrated that a dangerous amount of absorption is possible, leading to a fast, irregular heartbeat or neurological symptoms such as twitching and seizures, he said. If too much of the stimulant is absorbed, the child can stop breathing.
“That stuff can be consumed and kept down and rapidly absorbed, and they get sick real quick,” Brooks said. “We get really nervous.”
In addition to nicotine, toddlers may be harmed by other ingredients in some vaping liquids, such as THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, he said.
In older users, the lung injuries have been blamed on a substance called vitamin E acetate, added to vaping liquids that contain THC.
The Georgia angle
Last month, Georgia reported 35 vaping-associated illnesses, four of them fatal, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Additionally, the Georgia Poison Center reported receiving about 19 calls from hospital emergency rooms in recent weeks related to people getting sick from vaping. Most patients were in their 20s and 30s, but some were also teenagers, including a 13-year-old, according to reports.
The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated this year that 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% of middle school students used e-cigarettes within the last 30 days. The number of kids using e-cigarettes is up about 1.7 million from last year, which means 5.3 million American youths are putting their developing brains at risk, health experts say.
Some Metro Atlanta public schools are considering revising drug and alcohol policies to specifically prohibit vaping.
Flavor ban announced
The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will prohibit fruit, candy, mint and dessert flavors from small, cartridge-based e-cigarettes that are popular with high school students. But menthol- and tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes will be allowed to remain on the market.
The flavor ban will also entirely exempt large, tank-based vaping devices, which are primarily sold in vape shops that cater to adult smokers.
Together, the two exemptions represent a significant retreat from President Donald Trump's original plan announced four months ago, which would have banned all vaping flavors — including menthol — from all types of e-cigarettes. The new policy will spare a significant portion of the multibillion-dollar vaping market. And the changes mark a major victory for thousands of vape shop owners who sell the tank-based systems, which allow users to mix customized flavors.
Packaging luring kids
Critics have accused manufacturers of making vape pens and refill containers with eye-catching, brightly colored exteriors to appeal to teen users. Such packaging is likely to appeal to toddlers as well, Brooks said.
Credit: Joshua A. Bickel
Credit: Joshua A. Bickel
The holidays are an especially risky time, with the presence of college students and other visitors who may be unaware how fast a toddler can get into things. The only solution, Brooks said: keep vaping-related products out of the house.
— Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.
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