Poisonings From E-Cigarette Liquid Up Sharply

[zoiDman]

Not necessarily. Such a drastic increase could stem from increased exposure, which may or may not track with ER visits. It could also stem from media scares, which likely wouldn't track with ER visits.

Given that I traded cigarettes for vaping, any potential exposure in this household shifted from cigarette tobacco to e-cigarette liquids. Since I'm as careful with one as I was with the other, the probability of a call being made to Poison Control would not appreciably change.



Logic dictates that, yes. If one person in the country uses e-liquids, calls made would be limited. If a million do, the opportunity for something to go awry is a million times greater, all else being equal (which of course it never is).

I agree.

There can be MANY reason why the Amount of Calls can/does Increase. More people using a Product, to me, would have the Greats Effect.

But things like you mentioned can/does have an Effect.

Here's another one. How about More people doing DIY?

 

[mostlyclassics]

The world is so topsy-turvy at present that I'm sure most people here won't believe me but, so help me, it's all true.

I grew up in a fairly affluent North Shore suburb of Chicago and was in elementary school in the 1950's. Most of the moms in the neighborhood had college degrees, so we're not talking about high school dropouts here.

Health insurance was was strictly for real catastrophes. The kid two doors down got hit by a car in hit-and-run: his parents paid cash money to have his broken arm reset and casted at the ER, and his mom drove him there. Even births weren't regarded as catastrophes: my parents actually paid us kids' natal expenses on the installment plan with the hospital, the pediatrician and the ob/gyn.

Kids, of course, will stick anything in their mouths. They frequently swallow nasty things they have no business eating, but kids will be kids.Home remedies were much more frequently relied on then. Many moms kept a pint jar with a bunch of unsmoked cigarettes marinating in water. If a kid had to be made to blow chunks because of something he or she ate, then some brown ....-water was poured in a glass, and the kid was made to drink it.

 

[Vocalek]

Kids, of course, will stick anything in their mouths. They frequently swallow nasty things they have no business eating, but kids will be kids.Home remedies were much more frequently relied on then. Many moms kept a pint jar with a bunch of unsmoked cigarettes marinating in water. If a kid had to be made to blow chunks because of something he or she ate, then some brown ....-water was poured in a glass, and the kid was made to drink it.

Hey wait a minute! I was in elementary school in the 1950s, too. Thank goodness nobody had told my Mom about that particular home remedy. She had a million of them. One of the worst was wrapping my finger in a piece of bread soaked in milk after I was stung by a hornet. Don't bother to try that. It doesn't work. My finger continued to grow in size and stiffness.

Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) does work quite well for allergic reactions to bites and stings of all kinds. Too bad that I was nearly 40 when I learned that it wasn't necessary for me to suffer through 2 weeks of scratching and bleeding after being attacked by mosquitoes. My neighbor was a RN, and when I called to tell her that I had been eaten alive during the impromptu basketball game we had played at dusk in her driveway, she told me to take two Benedryl. I was shocked when there were no marks on me the next day.

 

[aikanae1]

Another perspective is the Chantix lawsuit last year in 27 states or the number of sick kids eating nic lonzeges / gum out of mommy's purse. I think an ecig is a lot less attractive.

I wonder if this is the next marketing strategy with the NYT piece.

If they are so worried about vaping renormalizing smoking, they why do they make them LOOK like cigs? I think they should ban those if they want something to do.

 

[mostlyclassics]

Hey wait a minute! I was in elementary school in the 1950s, too.

Vocalek, the other common blow-chunks remedy of the time was ipecac syrup. Either was equally effective for invoking violent and instant regurgitation.

Of course, now we know that stomach-pumping plus chelation with the proper antidote is really the only way to go in cases of kiddy-poisoning. I'm not sure you can even buy ipecac syrup anymore.

But, hey! Back then we rode bicycles without wearing helmets!

 

[mn shutterbug]

The issue has nothing to do with where the e-liquid was made.

A medical expert was on the news this morning and did say that nicotine content is all over the board and being much of the juice comes from China, we really have no idea what exactly is in it. I really believe this part. This is also why I buy dog treats only made in the USA. We've all heard of dog treats killing dogs and every time it's happened, the origin of the treats was China.

 

[spaceballsrules]

Some much needed context concerning e-cig nicotine poisoning:

"Another way of putting that: The number of accidental poisoning reports related to e-cigarette fluid increased from about 338 in 2012 to 1,351 in 2013. None of these poisonings was fatal, and most (73 percent) were not serious enough to require hospital treatment. In 2012, by comparison, 311,347 poisoning reports involved analgesics, 221,314 involved cosmetics, 193,802 involved cleaning substances, 96,997 involved anthistamines, 88,694 involved pesticides, 68,168 involved vitamins, and 49,374 involved plants. So if "e-liquids pose a significant risk to public health," as Richtel says, the risk posed by common products such as aspirin, window cleaner, and bug spray is gargantuan."

Source: The New York Times Warns That Drinking E-Cigarette Fluid Could Become a Fatal Fad Among Toddlers - Hit & Run : Reason.com

 

[mostlyclassics]

A medical expert was on the news this morning and did say that nicotine content is all over the board and being much of the juice comes from China, we really have no idea what exactly is in it. I really believe this part.

There are nicotine concentration test kits available for pretty cheap. They're accurate to plus or minus 10% straight out of the box, and if you use the lab equipment I have, they're accurate to plus or minus 5% or so. I test all of the unflavored and concentrated 100 mg./ml. rocket juice I buy, and I test every flavored e-liquid that doesn't contain an acidic (i.e., most fruit) flavoring. (The acid in the flavoring goofs up the test.)

Over the last two years, I've tested maybe 80-100 different Chinese e-liquids, either high-test or diluted and flavored. Each and every one of them has had their nicotine concentration within that plus or minus 5% range. By contrast, I've had two American "made" high-test nicquids (I'm not sure of where the nicotine was actually extracted, but it was diluted to 100 mg./ml. here in the U.S.) measure 37% high and 42% high. (I just diluted them down to 100 mg./ml., retested to make sure, and threw them in my freezer stash.)

By the way, the plus-or-minus-5% range with 18 mg./ml. works out to 17.1-18.9 mg./ml. This is an insignificant variation. Normally I vape 16-18 mg./ml., mostly 16 mg./ml. It takes me a minimum of a couple of hours of straight chain-vaping 24 mg./ml. before I can tell the difference, and even then, it's just a mild headache. 24 mg./ml. is 150% of 16 mg./ml.

This is solely my experience, but I'm sure many others here who have and use the test kits can tell you the same.

Besides, the Red Chinese government takes a dim and harsh view of bad QC. Remember, they actually executed some of the people responsible for lead-laced toys and such. That's playing for keeps.

 

[rothenbj]

"Besides, the Red Chinese government takes a dim and harsh view of bad QC. Remember, they actually executed some of the people responsible for lead-laced toys and such. That's playing for keeps."

That could open up some positions in corporate America. Off hand I could think of some jobs that would open in the auto industry and in one of our most heavily regulated industry, Pharmaceutics.

 

[AgentAnia]

To set the record straight on the Israeli toddler's alleged death from nicotine poisoning: I have been tracking this story since it first appeared. To date, I have found only one public mention of this incident, the original article appearing in The Times of Israel:

Police investigating toddler's death from nicotine overdose | The Times of Israel

There have been no follow-up articles in this or any other media that I can find w/ any search engine. No confirmation as to cause of death. No confirmation of what the child actually ingested. No autopsy results; in fact, no mention that an autopsy was performed.

As far as I can tell (and nothing contradicts this), ALL references to this incident are based solely on the one newspaper article linked above. Note that whenever this alleged poisoning is referred to in statements to the media, no link is given.

Sad as any child's untimely death is, I have to file this under "Rumor."

 

[rothenbj]

To set the record straight on the Israeli toddler's alleged death from nicotine poisoning: I have been tracking this story since it first appeared. To date, I have found only one public mention of this incident, the original article appearing in The Times of Israel:

Police investigating toddler's death from nicotine overdose | The Times of Israel

There have been no follow-up articles in this or any other media that I can find w/ any search engine. No confirmation as to cause of death. No confirmation of what the child actually ingested. No autopsy results; in fact, no mention that an autopsy was performed.

As far as I can tell (and nothing contradicts this), ALL references to this incident are based solely on the one newspaper article linked above. Note that whenever this alleged poisoning is referred to in statements to the media, no link is given.

Sad as any child's untimely death is, I have to file this under "Rumor."

In our world it would be considered anecdotal evidence. However, somehow this incident has become an anthem for the protection of children. "Not one avoidable death".

 

[Kent C]

"Besides, the Red Chinese government takes a dim and harsh view of bad QC. Remember, they actually executed some of the people responsible for lead-laced toys and such. That's playing for keeps."

That could open up some positions in corporate America. Off hand I could think of some jobs that would open in the auto industry and in one of our most heavily regulated industry, Pharmaceutics.

After the 2009 FDA stuff, China eliquid manufacturers Joyetech, Boge/Dekang and Hangsen - who make almost all of China's eliquid, brought in the same Swiss company, SGS - the one that cleaned up the lead toy problem - and MSDS and TUV VOM to do quality control on eliquid and the hardware for Joye, Kanger, etc. All eliquid from China have their certifications.

http://www.vapehit.co.uk/info.php?articles&articles_id=22

See after 'manufacturing'.

"In China, manufacturers must obtain nontoxic testing permits to regulate the amount of pure nicotine that is mixed with e-liquid batches, but no other documentation is needed to produce and distribute. Some concern has been raised over the quality of ingredients used in Chinese manufacturing, but no substantiated evidence has been brought forward to discredit Chinese manufacturers. Many Chinese companies comply with standards implemented by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

"Manufacturers in China of e-liquid now have stringent hi-tech manufacturing plants with advanced quality control, and also offer certifications of SGS, MSDS and TUV VOM in order to comply with a reputable standard of quality together with a standardised safety module of their products having undergone an array of tests over their e-liquid contents."

 

[AgentAnia]

Face it, the "it's from China so we don't know what's in it" is nothing more than fearmongering, pure and simple. Amazing that so many, even here on ECF, buy into it.

 

[Kent C]

Face it, the "it's from China so we don't know what's in it" is nothing more than fearmongering, pure and simple. Amazing that so many, even here on ECF, buy into it.

Agree - either uninformed or xenophobic... sad really. Joyetech, esp. in hardware has stepped up to the plate on issues, some of which happened because of information from here.. I know a few vendors who have visited there and are really impressed with their labs and factories as far as quality control check points.

 

[Sikko]

"Besides, the Red Chinese government takes a dim and harsh view of bad QC. Remember, they actually executed some of the people responsible for lead-laced toys and such. That's playing for keeps."

That could open up some positions in corporate America. Off hand I could think of some jobs that would open in the auto industry and in one of our most heavily regulated industry, Pharmaceutics.

They executed the head of their FDA equivalent for corruption. No doubt with the levels of collusion between pharmaceutical companies here and our FDA I'm sure they are glad there is no death penalty for corruption here.

China To Execute Chief Food Inspector - CBS News

 

[sherwood865]

I just got us another article out there on this same topic: 5 Substances in your home more harmful than E-Cigarettes - Knoxville Business | Examiner.com

 

[Fulgurant]

I think this is Very Pertinent.

Someone spilling 3 Drops of 12mg/ml e-Liquid on their Fingers while filling a Carto may Illicit the same call to a Poison Control Center as Someone Spilling a 250ml Bottle of 100mg/ml Nicotine Base onto their Lap.

And therein lies the beauty: the more scare-mongering crap the media prints about ecigs and e-liquid, the more people who don't know any better will find themselves reaching for the phone to call poison control for clarification.

Self-fulfillment: the perfect compliment to self-importance.

 

[Kent C]

And therein lies the beauty: the more scare-mongering crap the media prints about ecigs and e-liquid, the more people who don't know any better will find themselves reaching for the phone to call poison control for clarification.

Self-fulfillment: the perfect compliment to self-importance.

As the scare mongering gets more outrageous, it's only an indication that we've won the rational debate. All that's left for them is creating fear and misinformation, and ad hominem attacks on any ecig proponents. That doesn't mean we've 'won the war', unfortunately.

 

[zoiDman]

And therein lies the beauty: the more scare-mongering crap the media prints about ecigs and e-liquid, the more people who don't know any better will find themselves reaching for the phone to call poison control for clarification.

Self-fulfillment: the perfect compliment to self-importance.

Sometimes it is Fear Mongering. And sometimes it is Just the Media try to Grab Readers using Hype.

Look at the Title of this Thread. Poisonings From E-Cigarette Liquid Up Sharply

Is the Amount of Poisonings Really Up Sharply per the Number of Total e-Liquid Users? Would the Wording "The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply" be more Accurate?


To Go a Step Further, would the sentence, "The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply due to a Large Amount of People using e-Liquids" be even more Accurate.


How about One more Step. "The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply due to a Large Amount of People using e-Liquids. But there was No Significant Increase in the Percentage of People needing to go to the ER "



One Last Step. "The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply due to a Large Amount of People using e-Liquids. But there was No Significant Increase in the Percentage of People needing to go to the ER. Out of which, No Fatalities were Reported."


Last Integration. "The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply due to a Large Amount of People using e-Liquids. But there was No Significant Increase in the Percentage of People needing to go to the ER. Out of which, No Fatalities were Reported. And the Amount of Trips Requiring ER Visits are Dwarfed by the Amount of Trips to the ER due to Poisoning from Common Household Products."

Now which do you think will Get more Web Hits. And hence, will attract more Advertising Dollars?

Poisonings From E-Cigarette Liquid Up Sharply

or

The Number of Calls to Poison Control Centers is Up Sharply due to a Large Amount of People using e-Liquids. But there was No Significant Increase in the Percentage of People needing to go to the ER. Out of which, No Fatalities were Reported. And the Amount of Trips Requiring ER Visits from e-Liquid Ingestion are Dwarfed by the Amount of Trips to the ER due to Poisoning from Common Household Products.

---

Note: I'm Not In Anyway Faulting the OP for the Title of their Thread. Merely using the Wording as an Example as to How Meanings, either Real or Imaginary, can be Conveyed with Words.

 

[AgentAnia]

I just got us another article out there on this same topic: 5 Substances in your home more harmful than E-Cigarettes - Knoxville Business | Examiner.com

Bravo, Mr. Sherwood! Well done, well done!