Poisoning public health issues: Chapter 2
In context, the figures pack none of the headline’s punch.
24 of the 39 cases are exposures to children (less than 6 years)… Most exposures were small and did not lead to symptoms. Those individuals that did develop symptoms were monitored at home by the [Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center] through follow-up calls. Only two patients were recommended to go to the emergency department: 1 dermal exposure and 1 ingestion. Both patients saw symptom resolution in less than 8 hours.
To place the Kentucky e-cigarette poison alert in focus, I reviewed the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ latest (2012) report. It turns out that tobacco products accounted for only about 1.3 percent of the more than 581,000 cases of exposure to non-pharmaceutical agents of all kinds in children less than six years of age in 2012. That’s 7,480 cases. Here’s a table of some of the more common exposures:
| Non-pharmaceutical Exposure Cases Among Children Under 6 Years Old, 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Product Category | Number of Exposures |
| Cosmetics and personal care products | 156,623 |
| Household cleaners | 106,582 |
| Foreign bodies | 77,905 |
| Pesticides | 36,056 |
| Plants | 30,690 |
| Arts, crafts, office supplies | 21,146 |
| Deodorizers | 19,153 |
| Alcohols | 11,443 |
| Gasoline, other hydrocarbons | 10,572 |
| Food additives, spoilage | 10,547 |
| Bites, venom | 8,777 |
| Tobacco products | 7,480 |
| Essential Oils (clove, etc) | 7,446 |
| Paint, paint strippers | 7,192 |
| Adhesives, glue | 5,863 |
| Batteries | 5,116 |
| Chemicals | 3,923 |
| Fertilizers | 3,054 |
| Everything else | 51,351 |
| Total | 580,919 |
Of the tobacco product exposures, cigarettes were the most common, at 53 percent, while smokeless products accounted for 16 percent. Only 172 incidents (2 percent) involved e-cigarettes.
Many consumer products pose potential danger, especially to young children. However, when put into perspective with exposures to cosmetics, household cleaners, paint and paint strippers and fertilizers, the selective reporting of poison control information about e-cigarettes is meaningless.
