Study Finds E-Cigarette Liquid Lethal to Children if Ingested (Astro Awani Network News)
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Astro Awani Network News reported on August 31, 2015 that the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis has conducted a study finding that e-Cigarette liquid is lethal to children if ingested. Published in the Academic Pediatrics Journal, the findings were the results of a self-administered survey, which parents completed during office visits to 15 pediatric practices within the St. Louis region between June 24 and November 6, 2014. This resulted in 658 surveys completed.
The findings support evidence that the liquid within e-cigarettes can be lethal to children if ingested as well as exposure to the skin can sicken children, yet many adults who used them are not aware of the dangers. The best way to lower the risk of children coming into contact with e-cigarettes is to store the e-cigarettes out of the reach of children.
Findings from the survey:
- 95% of adults surveyed were aware of e-cigarettes and 21.0% had tried them at least once
- 12.3% reported e-cigarette use by more than one person in their household
- 17.3% reported regular cigarette use
- Traditional tobacco products were also being used in two-thirds of the households where children were exposed to e-cigarettes
- Of those using e-cigarettes at home, 36.9% thought e-cigarettes were minimally or not addictive and 25.0% did not know if they were addictive or not
- 73.7% of respondents believed that the liquid was very dangerous to children if ingested, but only 31.2% believed skin contact could be dangerous
- 36.1% of e-cigarette using homes did not use childproof caps or locks to prevent children from accessing the e-liquid
- 34% of respondents store the e-cigarettes in a drawer or cupboard, 22% stored them in a purse or bag, and 13% stored them on an open counter
- 15.3% of the participants reported that their child’s pediatrician was aware of e-cigarette use in the home
- 6% had discussed necessary security measures with the pediatricians