Police say a Mohawk Valley toddler has died after he swallowed liquid nicotine, the chemical used in electronic cigarettes.
Police in the village of Fort Plain tell media outlets emergency workers were called to a home shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday. They found a 1-year-old boy unconscious.
The boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say they believe the poisoning was an accident.
Liquid nicotine is legally sold in New York as a supplement to e-cigarettes. The chemical must be diluted before being used. The concentrated liquid can be lethal to a child if as little as a half teaspoon is ingested.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging federal lawmakers to pass legislation requiring child-proof packaging for liquid nicotine sold to consumers.
In May of 2013, YWN Israel reported about a child who was Niftar in Jerusalem after ingesting liquid nicotine.
(AP)
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2 Responses
shame so many in our community are fooled into thinking these poisons are “safe”
The Town Crier – this story is in fact very tragic, but e-cigarettes are overwhelmingly less dangerous than tobacco cigarettes. Here’s a list some statements by leading public health & tobacco control organizations.
Framework Convention Alliance on Tobacco Control:
“FCA Policy briefing: Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems,” (October 2014):
“E-cigarettes are almost certainly considerably less hazardous for individuals than cigarettes”
“Electronic cigarettes: A report commissioned by Public Health England,” (May 2014):
“Overall however the hazards associated with use of products currently on the market is likely to be extremely low, and certainly much lower than smoking. They could be reduced further still by applying appropriate product standards.”
Cancer Research UK: “Cancer Research UK Briefing: Electronic cigarettes.” (May 2014):
“There is a consensus that e-cigarettes are almost certainly much safer than smoking tobacco cigarettes”
American Heart Association: “Electronic Cigarettes: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association.” (August 2014):
“The levels of toxic constituents in e-cigarette aerosol are much lower than those in cigarette smoke, there is still some level of passive exposure to organic compounds, nicotine, and fine particles”