Liquid nicotine: Just a teaspoon could kill

FOX News ^ | March 24, 2014 | Kate Seamons

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

It can be bought on the Internet in flavors like chocolate and bubble gum—and just a teaspoon could kill a child: The New York Times takes a look at liquid nicotine, the e-liquid used in e-cigarettes, which it describes as a "powerful neurotoxin ... far more dangerous than tobacco." And with good reason: Reports of accidental liquid nicotine poisonings rose 300% from 2012 to 1,351 cases last year, with 2014's figure expected to be double that.

The victims, many children under the age of four, can experience vomiting and seizures after being exposed to even a modest amount orally or through the skin.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that the bottles often convey their flavors with potentially enticing photos of fruits or chocolate, which could attract youngsters; teens, on the flip side, may be combining it with energy drinks to get high, per Fox News Insider.

"It's not a matter of if a child will be seriously poisoned or killed. It's a matter of when," says a director with California's Poison Control System.

[Star Traveler]

No, that liquid nicotine used by people to mix themselves and fill up those e-cigarettes - can be absolutely deadly.

Depending on how concentrated the mix is you get - you better be careful. Some of the stronger concentrations are such that just the fumes can kill a roomful of people!

[jjsheridan5]

When I was in middle school we had an epidemic of snuff use. Every other pair of jeans would have that characteristic circle in the pants pocket where the snuff container was kept.

I thought the age limits were there to protect you. How could this have happened.

And then we had an epidemic of mouth cancer.

Snuff and Snus are very different in how they are cured. Sweden and Finland, where snuff use is very high, don't show "an epidemic of mouth cancer". If true (and I am highly suspicious, given the meta-data on the linkage between snuff and mouth cancer, which would imply that "an epidemic of mouth cancer", especially at a young age), then you are merely confirming that the problem doesn't lie in the tobacco, and certainly not in the nicotine, but rather the curing process.

[Star Traveler]

It would be 100 times easier to kill a child with the materials used for e-cigarettes — than if you had cartons and cartons of cigarettes laying around. The nicotine concentrate can be absolutely deadly.

[Gabz]

Once most smokers have switched, start slowing reducing the amount of nicotine in the e-cig vapors.

You really do like controlling what others do, don't you?

I you had any clue about the subject on which you are spouting you would know that various levels, including none at all, amounts of nicotine are already available in e-cigs.

[DannyTN]

From the link you just posted: Information released from the National Cancer Institute states that smokeless tobacco products contain 28 different carcinogens, are linked to an increased risk of oral cancers and may be associated with other forms of cancer.

So on the one hand, you have the National Cancer Institute that says that they are linked. And on the other hand, you have an article in an "open access" forum that says it's only linked in the U.S. but not for scandinavian snuff.

Well I don't have to breathe second hand snuff, so do what you want. Just don't split on the floor in a public building and we'll get along fine.

[fabian]

they are a stupid, idiotic way to quit smoking. www.fhu.com has a very simple and effective method...

[Boogieman]

“If both had been polite and attentive to the desires of one another, we’d never have this unseemly brouhaha.”

Smokers have caved to everything the nonsmokers have asked, and got nothing but grief in return, so I don’t think that being polite and attentive would accomplish anything.

[jjsheridan5]

The CDC reports are usually collected from doctors. I assume that would be true of the California Poison Control too.

Usually, in these reports, they are lumping in the calls to poison control, in order to confirm their biases. But either way, the natural reaction to ingesting too much nicotine is to vomit. It would be expected, especially given the public hysteria, for most parents to take their nausea-ridden youngster to the doctor in those cases.

The other factor in the epidemic of childhood nausea could also be explained just by drinking the propylene glycol, vegetable glycol, or flavorings. Just as I was "poisoned" as a child because I drank a little shampoo, the body has a vomit reflex to protect against consumption of too much of a lot of different chemicals.

[cripplecreek]

When I was a kid just 8 or 9 years old I used to go buy my dad’s Pall Malls. Today someone would call protective services and have me removed from the home. (with the approval of several self superior FReepers)

[DannyTN]

My girl friend works in this health clinic. They have lots of poor patients.

It always amazes her that the patients can't afford medicine for their kids, but they can always afford a pack of smokes.

[jjsheridan5]

A buddy of mine at work tried using e-cigs to quit chewing tobacco. I didn’t think it would work, but it DID!

I tried chewing tobacco to quit smoking. And then I went back to smoking to quit chewing tobacco. That was followed by a couple of years where I did both. After that, I tried rolling my own cigarettes to quit both (figured that it would slow me down), only to discover that I am indescribably lazy, and settled back on smoking.

Until eCigs came around, and changed everything.

[DannyTN]

So you are trying to claim that this is reported nausea and not reported poisonings from nicotine?

Where do you get that? Do you just pull this crap out of your backside?

[DannyTN]

So you are trying to claim that this is reported nausea and not reported poisonings from nicotine?

Where do you get that? Do you just pull this crap out of your backside?

[Gabz]

I don't think anyone is against smokers switching to e-cigs. But we still don't want to breath second hand nicotine in any form.

No, you just want to control other people and what they do.

How much second hand nicotine do you breath when boiling potatoes or simmering spaghetti sauce?

[discostu]

Sure enough. I’m sure they’ll work on that one.

[mabarker1]

There was a Training class I attended for Water Operator Job years ago put on by DHS- WMD & Terrorism. One of the things they talked about was the terrorscum using this to contaminate the water systems.

1 cigarette extracted of nicotine was supposed to be enough to kill a rabbit if put on the nape of the neck.

They gonna need a bunch of cigs to do even a small water system.

[DannyTN]

"Smokers have caved to everything the nonsmokers have asked, and got nothing but grief in return, so I don’t think that being polite and attentive would accomplish anything."

Are you kidding? Smokers fought tooth and nail against every advance the non-smokers pushed.

[jjsheridan5]

Depending on how concentrated the mix is you get - you better be careful. Some of the stronger concentrations are such that just the fumes can kill a roomful of people!

Was that sarcasm? If it wasn't ... wow.

[Drango]

I remember how unpleasant it was when flying and regardless of where one sat one had to breath the smoke and the stench of tobacco would be all on ones clothes afterwards.

The mantra from smokies back then (and today)was tough $h!t, you can always take another plane, boat, drive whatever...Don't like to inhale smoke while eating, tough $h!t, find another restaurant.

Don't like your children being marketed to and turned into addicts? Tough $h!t. Don't like babies being born with birth defects 'cause their mother smoked while pregnant? Tough $h!t

Now they wonder why they lost the smoking wars and why people marched by the thousands into voting booths to restrict their addiction.

[Gabz]

Well we wouldn’t need a nanny state if you hadn’t of acted like babies to begin with.

Actually, you are the babies ( you and your nanny cohorts) everything must be about you and your possible miniscule inconvenience. You didn't like the restaurant or bar that didn't permit smoking, so you had to insist ALL catered to you on the off chance you went into one that you would otherwise never enter.