Electronic Cigarette Toxicity

Poison center calls about e-cigarettes now almost match those for conventional cigarettes, but adverse reactions are generally mild.

Electronic cigarette use is increasing among adults and adolescents, but the public health impact and risk for acute nicotine toxicity is still unknown (NEJM JW Gen Med Dec 31 2013). CDC researchers analyzed data on calls to U.S. poison centers to assess the frequency of exposures to e-cigarettes and characterize their adverse health effects.

From September 2010 to February 2014, poison centers reported 2405 e-cigarette and 16,248 conventional cigarette exposures. During that period, e-cigarettes accounted for an increasing proportion of all cigarette exposure calls: from 0.3% to 42%. E-cigarette exposures were most common in children younger than 5 years and adults older than 20. The most commonly reported health effects from e-cigarette ex…

Reviewing Author

Cheryl Lynn Horton, MD

Disclosures

Speaker’s bureauAirway Management Education Center

Cheryl Lynn Horton, MD

Disclosures

Speaker’s bureauAirway Management Education Center

Electronic Cigarette Toxicity

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Reviewing Author