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The less dangerous alternative to smoking? Maybe not.
Last week, Mother Jones reported on a rather sensational story where an e-cigarette exploded on a London bartender, setting her dress on fire. The dramatic tale could be shrugged off as a faulty device or a bad night at the bar, but a closer look at the history of e-cigarettes proves that this is no isolated incident.
Mother Jones alone reported over 12 high-profile cases of e-cigarette explosions in the last few years, causing fires, bodily injuries, and smoke inhalation to users. The people injured have described the exploding devices as “bottle rockets” and “fireworks.” That’s not such a great thing to have near one’s face.
The Mother Jones report dates back to February 2012. Read this brief history of the e-cigarette’s rap sheet:
Niceville, Florida, February 2012
A 57-year-old Vietnam veteran was smoking an e-cigarette when it exploded in his face, knocking out his teeth and part of his tongue.
Muskogee, Oklahoma, April 2012
A woman, who bought an NJOY e-cigarette from Walmart to help her cut back on smoking half a pack a day, says it exploded when she tried to remove it from its package. “It was as loud as firing a gun, but a gun fired right in your face,” she recalled.
Sherman, Texas, July 2013
A man charged his e-cig in the USB port of a MacBook. “The battery was into about a two-hour charge and it exploded and shot across the room like a Roman candle,” he said. He says he suffered second- and third-degree burns, and that he and his wife were treated for smoke inhalation.
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, September 2013
A local news report detailed the city fire department’s investigation into several house fires they believed had been started by charging e-cigarettes.
Blaine, Minnesota, October 2013
A man was charging his e-cigarette through his computer when his wife noticed that it was “sparking like a fountain firework,” she said. The device then “shot out like a missile” from the computer, she said.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 2013
A man in Colorado Springs was charging his e-cigarette when it exploded, setting his bed on fire. He used a blanket to smother the flames, suffering burns on his body and face. The man said, “I’m back on normal cigarettes now.” [editor’s note: ouch]
Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, January 2014
A North Carolina man who spent over 20 years working as a firefighter was injured after his e-cigarette exploded in his face. He described the incident as feeling like “a bunch of hot oil hit my face.” The lasting damage to the man’s face has been described: “The bottom of his left eyeball is sensitive to light, hard to see out of, and will need to be looked at by an optometrist.”
Springfield, Missouri, January 2014
A man was sitting in bed with his wife when his e-cig overheated and burst into flames. The device was charging via a USB port on his laptop. He described the explosion as “a searing hot blinding light like a magnesium sparkler, [like] whenever you see a person welding.”
London, April 2014
A woman who used an incompatible charger to charge her e-cigarette caused a major fire that took about 40 minutes to get under control.
A story that was not reported on Mother Jones, reported yesterday, describes a fire in a Syracuse, N.Y. hospital that may have been caused by a patient smoking an e-cigarette:
Joe Galloway, a Syracuse Fire Department investigator, said the cause of the March 22 fire at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center has not been determined yet, but he confirmed the patient had an electronic cigarette.
[…]
The patient, whose identity was not released by the hospital, was burned across her face from ear to ear, said St. Joe’s spokeswoman Kerri Howell. The patient had an e-cigarette in her mouth and was using oxygen when the fire started, Howell said. The patient is now at home doing well, Howell said.
The danger of exploding e-cigarettes lies in the lithium-ion batteries which power the e-cigarette devices. From Mother Jones:
These batteries are also found in laptops and cellphones. But with e-cigarettes, the batteries are especially prone to overheating because smokers use incompatible chargers, overcharge the e-cigarettes, or don’t take sufficient safety precautions. For example, many e-cigarettes are made to plug into a USB port, which smokers may take to mean the devices can be safely charged with a computer or iPad charger. But if left too long in a common USB port, some e-cigarette batteries can fry.
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The inner workings of the e-cig can explain where it all goes wrong. (Click to enlarge)
These e-cigarette hazards are compounded by a lack of regulation and safety standards. The FDA currently does not regulate e-cigarette devices and other materials, such as the liquids used in the devices, and there are no industry-wide safety standards on the books.
This is evident in the quotes from the people injured and otherwise damaged from e-cigarette explosions and fires. Most have said they were unaware of the dangers of the devices and had no idea about unsafe charging practices, such as powering up devices via a car charger or USB port on a laptop.
The LaCrosse Fire Department issued a statement in their investigation of e-cigarette related fires, saying that the devices have “no over current protection, making them prone to overheating.”
While the risk of exploding e-cigarettes remains low, the common factor in the injuries and damages can be avoided with proper care and usage of the devices. Oklahoma City e-cigarette shop owners and safety advocates spoke out to educate consumers on ways to protect themselves in a 2013 news story.
Neal Heland of OKC Vapes cautions: “Your voltage can go up and go down constantly, which can in turn, either overcharges the device, causing a problem, or the bottom cap can actually blow off.”
Smoking is still bad for you, whether it comes from a traditional cigarette or the new “e-vape” trend, but if you’re still smoking, please protect yourself with these safety tips:
- Use only the directed power sources with e-cigarette devices.
- Do not plug e-cigarette power sources into car chargers, laptops, or USB devices.
- Supervise devices while charging, and do not allow the devices to charge past full power. A charging light on the device provides notification of a full battery.
- Use a fire proof safety bag when charging an e-cigarette battery.
- Store the battery in plastic boxes to avoid fire damage.
The post Another dangerous trend with e-cigarettes: Explosions, Fires, Injuries appeared first on Beacon Urgent Care.
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