Toddler burned after mom's e-cig explodes in car

Toddler burned after mom's e-cig explodes in car

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SALT LAKE CITY — There is a new warning about e-cigarettes — a few have overheated and burned people. A little boy is recovering after his mom's e-cigarette exploded in the car.

Provo City Fire Marshall Lynn Schoffield says a three-year-old boy was burned in the car when his mom's e-cigarrette battery overheated, sending the copper heating coil flying into the carseat and set the child's clothing on fire.

"We were very fortunate that the injuries were relatively minor, although painful," Schoffield said. "The mother was able to extinguish the fire before the burns became more severe."

Schoffield says the mom was able to put the fire out quickly, but the three year old had some first and second degree burns. Schoffield says the battery seems to have overheated.

"I don't know if i would want one unattended in a charger," Schoffield said. "I think there's some risk to all of them."


We were very fortunate that the injuries were relatively minor, although painful. The mother was able to extinguish the fire before the burns became more severe.

–Provo City Fire Marshall Lynn Schoffield


Schoffield says there was another case where an e-cig blew up in someone's mouth. They are starting to track these cases, and report them to the consumer product safety commission, which does not regulate e-cigs at this time.

Cigarette companies are touting e-cigs as safer than normal cigarettes, but 40 U.S. attorney generals, including Utah Attorney General John Swallow, disagree.

Forty attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday urging the agency to meet its own deadline and regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way it regulates tobacco products.

The letter, co-sponsored by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, says e-cigarettes are being marketed to children through cartoon-like advertising characters and by offering fruit and candy flavors, much like cigarettes were once marketed to hook new smokers.

At the same time, e-cigarettes are becoming more affordable and more widely available as the use of regular cigarettes decline as they become more expensive and less socially acceptable.

"Unlike traditional tobacco products, there are no federal age restrictions that would prevent children from obtaining e-cigarettes, nor are there any advertising restrictions," DeWine wrote.

Electronic cigarettes are metal or plastic battery-powered devices resembling traditional cigarettes that heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating vapor that users inhale. Users get nicotine without the chemicals, tar or odor of regular cigarettes.


People, especially kids, are being led to believe that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative, but they are highly addictive and can deliver strong doses of nicotine.

–Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley


E-cigarettes are being advertised during prime-time television hours at a time when many children are watching, according to the letter, which has led a surge in sales and use.

The health effects of e-cigarettes have not been adequately studied and the ingredients are not regulated, the letter said.

"People, especially kids, are being led to believe that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative, but they are highly addictive and can deliver strong doses of nicotine," Coakley said.

Citing a National Youth Tobacco Surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the attorneys generals said 1.8 million middle and high school students said they had tried e-cigarettes in 2012, mirroring increases in the use of the product by adults.

The letter urges the FDA to meet an Oct. 31 deadline to issue proposed regulations that will address the advertising, ingredients and sale to minors of e-cigarettes. The decision has been delayed in the past.

Tom Kiklas, co-founder and chief financial officer of the industry group, the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, agrees that e-cigarettes should be regulated as tobacco products. The group represents dozens of companies involved in the manufacture and sales of e-cigarettes.

"We're in agreement with responsible restrictions on the marketing and sales of these products," including a ban on marketing aimed at children, he said. "What I cringe at is when e-cigarettes get demonized."

The other states and territories joining the letter to the FDA, according to Coakley's office, are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wyoming.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Mary Richards and Associated Press

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