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Credit: George Mason University
Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) are devices commonly powered by a battery that aerosolize liquid and chemical flavorants. These products have become popular among people of all ages, especially youth. Some users may think of e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, according to the CDC, the aerosol that e-cigarette consumers breathe in and exhale includes addictive as well as harmful substances such as nicotine, ultrafine particles, chemical flavorants linked to serious lung disease, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and cancer causing agents. In addition, e-cigarettes powered by lithium-ion batteries have been documented to ignite and/or explode. These explosions have resulted in severe injuries, including third degree burns, lacerations, loss of body parts (including eye, tongue, and teeth), and death.
The number of e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries have been underestimated by Federal Agencies, according to a new George Mason University study. These injuries were thought to occur rarely, however there is no national surveillance system to monitor e-cigarette caused explosion and burn injuries.
A new report published in Tobacco Control found that there are far more e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries in the United States
Article originally posted at 
www.eurekalert.org
