Initial reviews of our data in early 2015 captured exposures to products known to be available at the time, but as the number and type of e-cigarette products on the market is ever-changing, our national organization has recently updated its classification of e-cigarette exposures. As a result of the reclassification, this summary reports a higher number of exposures than previous quarterly reports in 2015.
The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) saw a slight decrease in the total number of calls of e-cigarette exposures in 2015 (156) compared to 2014 (182). Despite the overall decrease in calls, children ages 1 – 3 years still remained the most affected group among WAPC calls (60% of total calls).
The most common clinical effects of exposure were vomiting and nausea and the majority of exposures could safely be managed at home with follow-up from the WAPC. The majority of exposures occurred in the patient’s own home (91%), which suggests that prevention messaging and education should focus on safe storage, use, and packaging.
*Disclaimer: Reporting of exposures to the Poison Center is voluntary and not mandated by law. As such, WAPC data describes the number of calls called into the Poison Center and most likely is an underrepresentation of the true occurence of any one substance. All calls to the Washington Poison Center are free and confidential.
For further information, contact Dr. Garrard at AGarrard@wapc.org or 206-517-2356