You see them everywhere now, producing thick clouds of white smoke. Studies say that it’s healthier than its traditional counterpart, the cigarette. Smokers who want to quit even swear by them, claiming that it’s helped them battle nicotine addiction.
But e-cigarettes may not be as harmless as you’d think.
Perry Greer, father of an Alabama teen, reported that an e-cigarette exploded in his son’s face.
“He pushed the button and blew in, and then you wait a couple of seconds, and then you puff on it. It was about two inches from his mouth and it just blew apart.”
He said that his son Ty, 16, was using the device inside the car when it blew up.
Blackened skin, lacerations, and burns
“It lit my kid’s face on fire, busted two teeth out,” he said. “It burned the back of his throat, burned his tongue very badly. If he wasn’t wearing glasses, he possibly could have lost his eyes.”
They raced Ty to the hospital. And as they waited for the morphine to kick in, Perry said that he hugged his son as he writhed in agony. “He wanted to die. That is how much pain he was in.”
Ty has been treated for first- and second-degree burns, and the doctors have already performed two root canals.
“I would like to see these unregulated ones possibly banned,” Ty’s father said. “It is horrific to see your kid with his face so burnt.”
Regulation needed
The group Action on Smoking and Health has issued a statement saying that what had happened to Ty Greer is another reason why e-cigarettes need to be regulated federally and provincially.
“We absolutely need product standards. For instance, they shouldn’t explode in your mouth,” the group said. “The other element with this particular incident is this product was sold to a minor, to a 16-year-old. We would like to see a ban on the sale of these products to minors, just like we have with cigarettes.”
We all know that smoking is hazardous not only to our bodies but to the environment as well. It can cause asthma in children, respiratory infections, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in newborn babies.
We also know that, as parents, we have a responsibility to our children to educate them about the dangers of smoking (electronically or not), and be a good example. If you’re a parent who smokes, maybe it’s time to reconsider.
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Also read: Exploding e-cigarette injures 14-year-old girl in Hogwarts ride
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