The phenomenon is still marginal, but it is gaining momentum. Accidents caused by electronic cigarettes are on the rise. Burns, explosions, so many incidents, sometimes serious, which remind us that the object is not trivial.
A report from the University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle, USA) states that, between October 2015 and June 2016, the emergency department of the city’s hospital treated 15 people who suffered burns related to e-cigarettes. . From 2009 to 2014, only 25 patients had been listed, recalls Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Author of this latest study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Elisha Brownson, surgeon, analyzed the circumstances of these accidents. Of the 15 cases, 12 people saw their electronic cigarette ignite. With, as a consequence, fairly serious injuries requiring intensive care or skin grafts. The chemical substances contained in the lithium batteries were at the origin of the chemical burns.
The explosions (4 patients) caused dental and skin damage. “The democratization of the electronic cigarette is likely to pose new challenges in hospitals”, explained Dr. Brownson.
In France, vapers, doctors and manufacturers have agreed to establish an Afnor standard which guarantees the quality and safety of e-cigarettes and refill liquids. Something to reassure vapers. They are 3% to use it every day, according to the last weekly epidemiological bulletin.
