WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration announced it plans to consider exposure warnings and child-proof packaging for liquid nicotine and nicotine-containing e-liquids.
Calls to poison control centers have increased from an average of 1 per month in 2010 to more than 200 per month, according to a 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control.
"The continuing rise in popularity of electronic nicotine devices," wrote FDA in the announcement, "which often use liquid nicotine and nicotine-containing e-liquids, has coincided with an increase in calls to poison control centers and visits to emergency rooms related to liquid nicotine poisoning and other nicotine exposure risks."
Liquid nicotine and flavored e-liquids that often include nicotine are used with electronic cigarettes by some as a replacement for smoking cigarettes or as a method to quit smoking entirely. The concentrated nicotine contained in the liquids poses a health risk for anybody who ingests it, however it is especially dangerous for children.
The FDA's concern is rooted in the massive increase in the number of e-liquid-related calls to poison control, and the fact that 51 percent of the calls were found to involve children age 5 or younger.
For rules and guidelines such as the proposed changes to e-liquid packaging, FDA allows 60 days for the public to comment on the proposal.
