Study finds e-cigarettes are making more children sick

As part of a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that more and more children are being poisoned by e-cigarettes.

Most children who became ill swallowed liquid nicotine, while others inhaled or touched a device. "This is an epidemic by any definition," said Dr. Gary Smith, the study's lead author and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. The team looked at telephone calls made to poison centers regarding exposure to tobacco and nicotine by children age 6 and under, from January 2012 through April 2015. At the beginning of the study, there were 14 calls a month about a child becoming sick from an e-cigarette, and by the end, there were 223 calls a month, The Associated Press reports. Most of the children affected were 2 years old or younger.

The study found that a majority of children who were exposed to e-cigarettes were able to stay at home, and of those who had to seek medical attention, less than 3 percent were hospitalized and 2 percent suffered complications, including seizures; one child died. Parents are urged to keep their e-cigarettes on a high shelf or tucked away in an area where children cannot see or reach them. Symptoms of liquid nicotine poisoning include vomiting, a fast heartbeat, and jittery behavior, and poison control should be called immediately if poisoning is suspected.

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