A few years ago, toxicologist Diane Calello noticed a troubling trend: More parents were calling the New Jersey Poison Control Center for help after their toddler inhaled an e-cigarette vape or drank liquid nicotine. “We had several cases, and I thought, ‘Gosh, kids really can get into anything, and accidents really do happen in an instant,’” said Calello, who runs the center based at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. These calls from frightened parents prompted a new Rutgers Health study that examines e-cigarette poisonings nationwide among young children.
Her research team found the number of calls about children, ages 5 and under, who ingested or inhaled e-cigarette products spiked 243% in recent years, according to their study published last month in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. To read the full story.