SEATTLE – Growing Concern Over Exploding E-Cigarettes
There’s increasing concern that e-cigarettes could explode while people are using them. Harborview Medical Center has treated a series of patients burned by e-cigarettes.
Since October, five people have been hospitalized at Harborview with injuries ranging from burns so severe that they lost function in their hands to explosions so powerful that, in at least one case, a man lost eight teeth and had to have four more removed.
Doctors told KIRO 7 News that they do not differentiate between vaping and e-cigarette devices when treating injuries, as both types of devices use batteries.
The problem appears to be primarily related to charging and incompatible batteries. All of the patients hospitalized at Harborview since October are in their early 20s.
One patient, injured this month, was burned while handling an e-cigarette at the shop where he works.
E-cigarette use, especially among teenagers, is on the rise. Between 2013 and 2014, the number of teens “vaping” nearly tripled, reaching 13 percent. In the fall of 2014, a massive house fire in Tacoma was caused by the state’s first e-cigarette-related explosion, according to the fire marshal.
At the time, Ray Story of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association emphasized the need for industry regulation:
“I’m working very closely with regulatory bodies and the FDA to build parameters to make sure that we even have the ability to recall products that are not up to speed,” Story said.
Most e-cigarettes are not regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration, though new rules are being considered.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of an e-cigarette explosion causing serious injuries, please contact us for a free consultation at (206) 260-3316 or (206) 260-3316.