Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff is warning parents about the dangers of E-Cigarette exposure in children. Ohio health officials are worried about rising e-cigarette exposures among young children and giving advice about how to prevent it.
Increasing Exposures
According to WCBE News and the Statehouse News Bureau, “concerns lie with children, particularly those ages five or younger, accidentally ingesting or even coming in contact with the liquid in vaporizer cartridges. That liquid can contain anything from nicotine to THC and CBD to artificial flavors—or some mix of those substances.”
Exposure to E-Cigarette cartridges can result in nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate, and in extreme cases, seizures, said Hannah Hays, Central Ohio Poison Center medical director and Nationwide Children’s chief of toxicology.
The American Lung Association also warns that exposure to E-cigarette aerosol can also be dangerous for children. The Surgeon General warns e-cigarette emissions can contain harmful chemicals, including nicotine and volatile organic compounds. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their developing lungs—and nicotine is always harmful to adolescent brain development.
The FDA gives advice for avoiding harmful exposures. This includes:
Following Storage Tips for E-Liquids—and Teaching Children to Avoid These Products: Remember that children are curious and put all sorts of things in their mouths. Even if you turn away for a few seconds, they can quickly get into things that could harm them.
Knowing the Poison Control Phone Number: To be prepared in case of an emergency, add the Poison Control HELP number (1-800-222-1222) to your phone contacts.
Handling E-Liquids Properly: When you remove products (adult-only) from their storage locations, it is important to handle them in a way that may help to prevent kids’ exposure to e-liquids.
Reporting Safety Issues to the FDA: The FDA has regulatory authority over all tobacco products—including e-cigarettes and other vaping products, cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookah, and pipe tobacco—as part of its mission to protect public health.
Consider Kicking the Habit
It is also important to consider discontinuing the use of these products or at least avoiding using them in front of your children. “Children tend to mimic their environment,” said Hannah Hays, Central Ohio Poison Center medical director and Nationwide Children’s chief of toxicology. “There are children, in all of the acute poisoning studies, who then will later access a vape and will smoke or vape from it because that’s what they’ve seen adults do.”
