CDC data show increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison centers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released data that show calls to poison centers involving e-cigarettes rose from one per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014.  The study, Calls to Poison Centers for Exposures to Electronic Cigarettes – United States, September 2010-February 2014, published in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), used data from the poison centers in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories—compared total monthly calls involving e-cigarettes with those involving conventional cigarettes.

Other key findings include:

• Poison centers reported 2,405 e-cigarette and 16,248 cigarette exposure calls from September 2010 to February 2014.
• E-cigarette calls as a proportion of total calls involving e-cigarettes and cigarettes rose dramatically – jumping from 0.3% in September 2010 to 41.7% in February 2014. 
• E-cigarette calls were more likely than cigarette calls to report an adverse health effect following exposure. The most common adverse health effects mentioned in e-cigarette calls were vomiting, nausea, and eye irritation.
• 51.1% of e-cigarette-related poisonings were among young children 0-5 years, while 42% of the poison calls involved adults age 20 and older.
• Poisoning from conventional cigarettes is generally due to young children eating them. Poisoning from e-cigarettes involves the liquid containing nicotine used in the device and can occur three ways: by ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin or eyes.

The total number of poisoning cases is likely higher than reflected in this study, because all exposures may not have been reported to poison centers. E-cigarette experimentation has rapidly increased in recent years. A previous CDC study found that e-cigarette experimentation doubled among middle and high school students between 2011 and 2012, with nearly 2 million youth trying the products in 2012.

Health-care providers; the public health community; e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors, sellers, and marketers; and the public should be aware that e-cigarettes have the potential to cause acute adverse health effects and represent an emerging public health concern.

For information about CDC’s poison surveillance efforts, please visit cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/ or contact Jane Bigham at JBigham@cdc.gov. For information about CDC’s tobacco prevention efforts, please visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco or contact Jennifer Greaser at JGreaser@cdc.gov.