I love it when an article like this gets posted and we get all indignant and self-righteous in our offense.
Was the article a hit piece?
YES
Did it give any false information?
NOT REALLY.
Is this false?
But less serious cases have led to a surge in calls to poison control centers. Nationwide, the number of cases linked to e-liquids jumped to 1,351 in 2013, a 300 percent increase from 2012, and the number is on pace to double this year, according to information from the National Poison Data System. Of the cases in 2013, 365 were referred to hospitals, triple the previous years number.
Examples come from across the country. Last month, a 2-year-old girl in Oklahoma City drank a small bottle of a parents nicotine liquid, started vomiting and was rushed to an emergency room.
That case and age group is considered typical. Of the 74 e-cigarette and nicotine poisoning cases called into Minnesota poison control in 2013, 29 involved children age 2 and under. In Oklahoma, all but two of the 25 cases in the first two months of this year involved children age 4 and under.
There are a lot of careless and ignorant smokers out there, and they become careless and ignorant vapers.
A childproof cap does no good if it is not being used. A Child proof cap does no good if the parent transfers the contents to a not child resistant bottle. E-Liquid in a ProTank or other tank is NOT child resistant.
OF COURSE the piece is alarming and fear mongering. States are losing tobacco settlement money and tax revenue from lost tobacco sales by the score.
But lets not throw out the baby with the bath water.
We as vapers SHOULD be responsible in how we handle our e-juice. If we DIY and purchase 10% nicotine concentrate, we better have that stuff locked down.
E-liquid and e-cigs in general should be treated with more respect than we treat smokes. The flavors are not marketed towards children, but children do develop positive or negative feedback.
A stinky nasty cigarette from mommy's mouth.....negative reinforcement.
Vapor that smells like chocolate chip cookies......positive reinforcement.
Does that mean you stop vaping? No... Does that mean we stop making chocolate chip cookie flavored e-juice No...
Does that mean we are especially careful in locking up our e-juice and e-cigs when not in use? YES... Do we also tell little Johnny or little Suzy not to drink said e-juice because it will make them sick? YES
And if they ask why do you vape it???? be prepared with an intelligent and rational response.
Bottom line is that we as vapers are responsibility for our own safety and those around us. Instead of pooh-poohing the risks and rising in righteous anger at hit pieces, maybe we need to make sure we are doing all we can do to make sure we vape as safely as possible.
