Take Action to Pass the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015
Updated May 01, 2015.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
It is well known that smoking cigarettes have big health risks to children and adults.
That is likely one big reason that e-cigarettes have become so popular.
Unfortunately, we still don't know a lot about e-cigarettes, such as:
- will the rise in e-cigarette use lead to a rise in child nicotine poisonings?
- instead of helping people stop smoking cigarettes, will e-cigarettes get even more kids addicted to nicotine?
We are already seeing poisonings from e-cigarettes, as young kids unintentionally ingest the liquid nicotine that is used to refill e-cig cartridges.
Many young kids also think that they are simply inhaling flavored water vapor when they smoke an e-cigarette. They sometimes don't realize that they are also inhaling nicotine.
And while children and teens can't buy cigarettes, there is nothing to stop them from buying e-cigarettes and nicotine refills in some areas.
Benefits of E-Cigarettes
Although unproven, makers of e-cigarettes routinely state that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking regular cigarettes and that e-cigarettes are a healthier source of nicotine.
Unfortunately, both of those claims are unproven.
Even if they are eventually proven true, there is definitely no healthy source of nicotine for children or teens.
Dangers of E-Cigarettes
E-cigarettes don't provide a harmless water vapor as some suggest. While likely better than inhaling the smoke from a cigarette, the vapor from an e-cigarette does contain toxins and cancer causing chemicals.
Will it get more teens to start smoking?
E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product by students in middle school and high school. Although fewer teens are smoking cigarettes, the rise in the use of e-cigarettes and hooka pipes shows that they aren't quitting, they are just changing how they get their nicotine.
And the use of e-cigarettes and hookahs is one the rise - in just one year, the CDC reports that their use has tripled among middle and high school students.
And tragically, poison centers are getting more and more calls about liquid nicotine poisonings. Calls to poison control centers after kids are exposed to liquid nicotine are increasing dramatically and there has been at least one death in a child after ingesting liquid nicotine. A toddler in New York died in 2014 after ingesting liquid nicotine in his home.
The problem is that the liquid nicotine, or e-cig juice, in the refill bottles is so concentrated that drinking just a teaspoon can kill a toddler. A full bottle is enough to kill an older child.
Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015
What can we do to protect kids from liquid nicotine and e-cigarettes?
The Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015 is a new bill that would "require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a rule to require child safety packaging for liquid nicotine containers."
It doesn't seek to ban e-cigarettes.
It doesn't even seek to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Fortunately, at least 42 states have already enacted their own laws banning the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, but that means that 8 have not.
It will take action from the FDA, which currently doesn't have the power to regulate e-cigarettes, to expand rules protecting kids from e-cigarettes on a nationwide level.
Until then, the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015 can at least protect young children from liquid nicotine poisoning. It just adds child resistant caps to liquid nicotine bottles. The law even has bipartisan support.
Take action and tell your Representatives in Congress that you support the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015:
In addition to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association of Poison Control Centers, a number of other organizations have supported the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act, including:
- American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
- American Association for Respiratory Care
- American College of Cardiology
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Preventive Medicine
- American Public Health Association
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
- Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund
- Consumer Federation of America
- Consumers Union
- First Focus Campaign for Children
- Kids in Danger
- March of Dimes
- National Association of County and City Health Officials
- Partnership for Prevention
- Public Citizen
- U.S. PIRG
“With this legislation, we feel that we can proactively prevent unnecessary trauma and heartache for parents by calling for tighter regulations on liquid nicotine,” said John Fiegel, AAPCC Interim Executive Director John Fiegel, CAE. “We are pleased to join 29 of our fellow public health organizations and consumer groups in this show of support as Sen. Nelson moves this bill forward.”
Sources:
CDC. Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2014. MMWR. April 17, 2015 / 64(14);381-385