A 1-year-old boy in upstate New York died after drinking a small amount of liquid nicotine, which is used in e-cigarettes. This is thought to be the first case of an accidental death caused by liquid nicotine, which has become widely available as the popularity of electronic cigarettes grows.
The refill bottle containing the liquid nicotine did not have a child-proof cap. Liquid nicotine is highly poisonous and is usually diluted before it is used in smoking devices. A half of a teaspoon may be a lethal dose in a child. Nicotine poisoning can cause vomiting, rapid heart rate, a drop in blood pressure, convulsions and, in extreme cases, loss of the ability to breathe. Liquid nicotine can be absorbed through the skin.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of calls about liquid nicotine to poison control centers around the country, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calls to poison control centers about liquid nicotine have soared from one per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014. More than half the calls were about children under age 5.
Currently, no state or federal laws require that liquid nicotine containers be child resistant. In New York, a bill is in the state legislature that will require child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine and a ban on sale of liquid nicotine to anyone under age 18. There is also a bill in Congress, the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014, which would require safer packaging.
Anti-smoking groups have been pushing for more regulations for e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine, which can be sold to minors in many states. Many brands of liquid nicotine offer candy or fruit flavors that may be especially attractive to children.
