WA Health has revealed that babies who ingest liquid nicotine are among a shocking increase in cases of vaporization poisoning in the state.
It is understood that babies are finding uncooked electronic appliances and bottles around their homes and are sucking, drinking or inhaling the contents.
This can lead to nausea, vomiting, headaches, intense breathing and even hospitalization of children.
The shock revelation comes when the number of people seeking help for a vaporization poisoning in WA has more than doubled in a year.
The WA Poison Information Center said there had been 42 cases of exposure to e-cigarettes in 2021, compared to just 18 in 2020.
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Last year’s figure was also higher than in 2019, when 30 exhibitions were recorded.
But it wasn’t just those who opted for electronically lighting themselves who were getting sick of the trend.
And while the vaporizer has become popular among teens and young adults, even those in their 70s had reported it to the poison center.
A WA Health spokesman said the vapors were not water and had poisonous ingredients.
“The main ingredient in vaporizers is propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin or glycerol. The vapors may contain the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, herbicide and insect spray, ”the spokesman said.
“This shows that the damage from access to vaping and e-cigarettes is widespread and worrisome, and is not limited to any age group.
“We urge people to be aware of the dangers of these products, especially in relation to children and adolescents.”
It comes when the Departments of Education and Health launched a campaign to curb vaping.
The “Do You Know What You’re Vaporizing?” The campaign exposes how just one vaporizer is equivalent to smoking the same amount of nicotine in 50 cigarettes.
It also explains how vaporizers that claim to be “nicotine-free” can have high levels of nicotine.
WA Health said vaping had also been linked to lung disease.
Recently, the department warned 3,000 retailers to sell e-cigarette devices and nicotine vaporizers in a crackdown on control of WA tobacco products.