Letter to manufacturers/ distributors of e-cigarettes in the USA
Please see the health warning "Precautions with e-cigarettes" on my website.
[SIZE=+0]www.healthnz.co.nz/ecigarette.htm
3 June 2009 Health warning: precautions required with e-cigarettes
Avoid bottled nicotine. Liquid nicotine (e-liquid) is commonly sold in small bottles of up to 30 mL or more, on the internet, or from stores in the USA, often meant to last consumers one month; often unlabelled as to nicotine dose. Health New Zealand Ltd does not recommend sale or use of e-liquid permitting a lethal dose of nicotine to be swallowed.* Nicotine solution sold in child-proofed cartridges avoids this risk. Lethal dose for a child is 10mg nicotine. Many bottles on sale contain many times this amount. Even if the cap of a liquid nicotine bottle is child proofed, the risk remains if someone else leaves it open.
For adults, absorption of a fatal dose of 40-60 mg of nicotine could rapidly occur due to spilling the liquid on one’s skin while using liquid nicotine to (cheaply) fill an e-cigarette – a risk heightened by inattention (distraction, fatigue, alcohol, drugs). (Wash it off immediately). Gloves should always be worn.
Avoid gravity feed. E-cigarettes should not be tipped up above mouth level, as the e-cigarette liquid can ooze out and drain nicotine on to the lips.
Avoid child-openable brands of e-cigarette and refill cartridges. Some brands of e-cigarette and of refill cartridges can be pulled apart or opened by young children, giving access to the nicotine solution in which the refill wick is soaked. These brands are a potential hazard.*
*The solvents and flavours of the liquid in the wick can mask the bitter taste of nicotine, so when a child tastes it, the liquid is not immediately spat out, but absorbed from the mouth, with risk of nicotine overdose.
Dr Murray Laugesen, e-cigarette researcher, Health New Zealand Ltd. 3 June 2009
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[SIZE=+0]In the past year I have concluded that cigarette smoke toxicants are unlikely to be produced at the low vapourising temperature produced by most e-cigarettes. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=+0]However I remain concerned with a number of e-cigarette brands with respect to child safety, and this has been voiced to me by others researching e-cigarettes. I am willing to correct any errors of fact in the warning.[/SIZE]
From a public health point of view, e-cigarettes can save lives of smokers, but society won't permit the immediate deaths of even one child from nicotine poisoning arising from their sale.
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From a business point of view however, now that e-cigarette sales are receiving public attention, it will only take one case of nicotine poisoning in a child from e-liquid, refills or loaded e-cigarette or to ensure an immediate ban on e-cigarettes in the USA and in many other countries. Bringing a total e-cigarette ban into effect in the USA, would also result in a public health setback, with thousands of e-smokers reverting to tobacco smoking.
This warning is thus designed
1) to protect children and e-smokers from nicotine poisoning,
2) to suggest ways in which e-products could in future be re-designed at source to design out the hazards.
3) to suggest a middle way for regulatory bodies to regulate e-cigarettes.
4) to set a standard for child safety for manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes, cartridge refills, and e-liquid.
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Murray Laugesen
public health physician
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Health New Zealand Ltd. ph +64 (3) 3288 688 Cell (0274) 884 375 Skype: murraylaugesen
hnz@healthnz.co.nz www.healthnz.co.nz 36 Winchester St Lyttelton Christchurch 8082, New Zealand.
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copy Bill Godshall, CEO Smokefree Pennsylvania
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Im sorry but that is just plain stupid.
Its more dangerous to leave your Zippo on the table on which a kid can burn the whole house down or even burn himself to death.
All this warnings are just like if real cigarrettes are the safest thing on earth. I have read several stories of people being drunk and leaving their cigarettes on and burning themself down on bed while they felt asleep. I also have heard stories of children playing with fire.
E-Liquid is not more dangerous then boiling hot water on the kitchen. There are millions of things on a household which are more dangerous and even more toxic. Of course you have to leave E-Liquid out of the hands of children but you also leave pills out of the hands of childrens. A bug killing spray can is probably more toxic and dangerous as well.
I tasted nicotine on the my mouth several times while puffing yersterday and besides the taste I did not go overdosed with it.
Im not sure how toxic it would be if I spill a bottle of nicotine over my hand but im sure there is a reason why they are small on the first place.
What I mean is I found it ridicolous how people are concerned whith this things while they leave real guns under their beds for children to play with them. There are worst things available for children we should take care first.
Its probably more dangerous a kid that runs outside and is hit by a car on the street then killing himself taking e-juice.
I dont get this warnings. Just a week ago an Air France plane crashed. They sure dont put a Warning on the Ticket when its sold "Be aware, the plane can crash under heavy storms"
They also dont put a warning on pump stations "Remember, your killing us all with each mile you drive"
Why they dont start making wine bottles against childrens. There are more kids that die because of alcohol each year. Thats a fact.
Its just like this non sense of the flue. How many people died? 80? Of 6,783,421,727 human beings that live on earth. But guess what the health organizations is "SUGGESTING" all states to buy anti flue medicines. Wow what a nice pharma business this is going to be. Millons of anti flue medicines sold for a desease that killed less then cough kills each year worldwide.
