E-cigarette exploded in the mouth of a 57-year-old

A man in the US was severely injured in the face and mouth by an explosion when using an e-cigarette

17.02.2012

Like the US television channel „NBC News“ reported Tuesday in its news release, a 57-year-old man from Niceville, Florida was seriously injured while consuming an electric cigarette (known as an e-cigarette). The victim had lost numerous teeth and a piece of the front tongue was shredded in the explosion.

In the interview, the wife says she heard a loud bang from her husband's study. It was like „an explosion of a firecracker“ belongs. Afterwards, she heard her husband screaming loudly.

Defective battery probable cause
Butch Parker of the local fire department suspects that the explosion was probably caused by a broken battery inside the e-cigarette. So far, the fire department was not aware that such accidents can be caused by the use of e-cigarettes. When the firefighters saw the victim for the first time when they arrived at the scene of the accident, they thought a rocket had exploded in the man's mouth. Such a thing could happen, of it „I've never heard or seen anything before“, Parker told NBC News. Igniting the battery also set the room on fire.

So far, it has not been possible to determine which brand it was. But it is clear that it must be a rechargeable lithium-ion battery battery that exploded. This is used by many manufacturers. The experts had found a charging station in the victim's study.

The accident will further fuel the debate over the e-cigarette. The 57-year-old quit smoking two years ago, and then he quit smoking „steam“ switched from electronic cigarettes. Now he is being treated in a special burn victims' clinic. According to initial findings, the man lacks almost all teeth and a piece of his tongue.

In numerous forums of „steamers“ It can already be read that the report is a „Propaganda Action“ the tobacco lobby must act. Doctors, scientists or politicians who are critical of health consequences are quickly suspected of working for that same lobby. Many people are enthusiastic „Damper“, because they use the smoking cessation devices. The e-cigarettes simulate the look, the physical sensation and the taste of conventional glow stems.

E-cigarettes barely explored
Dr. Meanwhile, Stephen Jay, a professor of medicine at Indiana University, warned against the careless handling. There is currently insufficient evidence to make a final assessment. "There is no safety or efficacy data to help with tobacco weaning“, said Jay. In addition, the Internet is full of pro pages where many misleading information is disseminated. In the opinion of the experts, there is above all a danger for young people and children, who assume that the use is completely harmless. The neurotoxin nicotine and numerous other substances in the Liquits, which are breathed in the evaporation, are by no means harmless.

Little control and many inferior goods
The e-cigarettes and liquids, called Liquits, are mostly distributed online on the Internet or even more often in so-called e-shops. According to the lobby initiative TVECA, around 2.5 million people in the US currently use the electronic cigarette. In Germany meanwhile the million mark should be reached likewise. According to TVECA, the technical components are not subjected to precise controls during manufacture. For this reason, it may also be that inferior goods on the market, as the head of the organization Ray Story said in an interview. The EU Commission has announced that it will closely examine the health consequences of electrical appliances. Until then, it can not be said that consumption is harmless, as a speaker emphasized. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Bonn emphasized that there is currently no fundamental decision due to insufficient data. (Sb)

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