The Erie County Health Commissioner is warning parents and pet owners about the deadly risk posed by e-cigarettes.
The liquid nicotine used by e-cigarettes for vaping can be fatal, according to Dr. Gale Burstein, and should be kept away from children and pets.
The colorful vials of liquid nicotine could attract children with flavors that sound like candy, such as strawberry, grape, watermelon, bubblegum and chocolate.
“A teaspoon of even highly diluted e-liquid or e-juice can kill a small child. Many of the accidental poisonings that have been reported in the United States have been traced to the problem of adults being unaware of the risks of having these liquids near children and being careless with control of the vials of liquid nicotine,” Dr. Burstein said.
On December 11, a toddler from Fort Plain, NY died after ingesting liquid nicotine, which can also be fatal to pets.
The FDA has proposed regulations to properly label liquid nicotine to make parents and pet owners aware of the dangers and to require childproof containers, but currently those safety measures are not required.
