NJ Senator Calls for State-Wide Ban on E-Liquid

On the heels of a CDC report that poisonings involving nicotine are up as a result of the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes, New Jersey State Senator Kemp Hannon introduced a bill late last week which would ban the sale of e-liquid in his state.

“I know this bill will make some people angry.”

-New Jersey Senator Kemp Hannon

Hannon says he had previously attempted to pass bill which would have banned e-cigarettes entirely, but admits that “even my colleagues did not agree with me on that.”

According to Hannon, calls to poison control centers for nicotine poisoning via the e-liquid used in electronic cigarettes increased 300%, “and many of these have been calls involving children under 6 years old.”

Hannon did not comment on whether he intends to ban everything toxic, including the thousands of household products which are responsible for far more poisonings than e-liquid, such as cosmetics, cleaning solutions, pesticides and plants.

Ban on e-liquids for e-cigarettes proposed in State Senate – Newsday

 

NJ Senator Calls for State-Wide Ban on E-Liquid

Poisoning Cases Doubled Sine 2011

A story in the Providence Journal by way of the Cronkite News Service warns that cases of poisoning by e-liquid for electronic cigarettes has increased more than two-fold since 2011, with many of the cases involving children.

The numbers are hardly surprising, given the boom e-cigarettes have seen in that timespan (as Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center Dr. F. Mazda Shirada says, “It’s just a matter of the mathematical growth that [e-cigarettes are] having”), but it serves as a reminder that nicotine, particularly in large doses, can be dangerous stuff, particularly if ingested.

“In a small kid, if they get into the concentrated refills, they can have similar effects of when [nicotine] is used as a pesticide.”

– Dr. F. Mazda Shirada, Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center

While it’s easy to discount stories like this as scare tactics (and there definitely are elements of that in the linked story, along with more than a little of the kind of anti-vaping propaganda we expect any time we see someone from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids quoted), it’s also important to remember that nicotine is, indeed, toxic, and should be treated as such.

We highly recommend always keeping e-liquid bottles and refill cartridges where kids and pets won’t get to them, and if your juice vendor of choice doesn’t offer childproof caps, consider dropping them a hint.

E-cigarette refills pose poisoning hazard for small children | Providence Journal

Poisoning Cases Doubled Sine 2011

Poison Centers Handling More E-Cig Calls

Poison Centers Handling More E-Cig Calls

Toddler Dies after Drinking E-Juice

Toddler Dies after Drinking E-Juice