This week, federal authorities warned manufacturers and retailers who sell e-liquids with packaging that consciously resembles sugary boxes, juice bottles, cookies, juice boxes, and even Reddiwip.
E-liquids are poisonous if they are swallowed. However, some companies put labels on their packaging and pictures that make nicotine-containing liquid look similar to the foods you grew up eating. The federal government is making a move.
The US Food and Drug Administration joined with the Federal Trade Commission to issue 13 warning letters to businesses that “misleadingly labeled or advertised nicotine-containing e-liquids as kid friendly food products such as juice boxes, candies, and cookies,” the FDA stated in its letter. Certain businesses were also found guilty of selling illegally-made e-cigarettes to minors.
The e-liquids, like “One Mad Hit Juice Box” (pictured above), could put users at risk of nicotine overdoses, especially youngsters. “No child should be using any tobacco product, and no tobacco products should be marketed in a way that endangers kids — especially by using imagery that misleads them into thinking the products are things they’d eat or drink,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb informed reporters at an interview with the media.
The warnings are part of the FDA’s Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan that aims to enforce regulations that hinder minors’ smoking tobacco, which includes electronic cigarettes. Last week it was announced that the FDA had announced a massive restriction on the sale of Juul. This elegant and popular electronic cigarette is sweeping campuses and schools throughout the United States.
Many companies that were issued warnings have already taken the e-liquids that were deemed unsafe from their websites. However, the liquids are still available at other retailers on the internet.
The term “e-liquid” (or “e-juice”) is the vaporizer’s fluid or e-cigarettes. It is heated to form an e-liquid, which the users take in. It’s usually a mix of propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavorings, and water. Particular vaporizers need the user to refill their e-liquids, which is why it’s sold separately—others, like Juul, the e-cigarette pre-filled cartridges.
Many kinds of e-liquids have different nicotine levels and are available in every flavor you can think of. This includes Salted Caramel, Whip Cream cereal milk, and rose wine, to mention some.
The companies under scrutiny from federal authorities have gone one step further by packaging their flavor-infused e-liquid in a way that makes it appear like it’s on the shelves of a supermarket. The problem is that the child-friendly packaging can increase the appeal of the e-liquid to younger users of e-cigarettes as well as misleading to children that might confuse the e-liquid with food or harm the e-cigarettes themselves.
The FDA has provided pictures of liquids in the e-liquids alongside images of natural food items to show the striking similarities. “Looking at these side-to-side comparisons is alarming. It is easy to see how a child could confuse these e-liquid products for something they believe they’ve consumed before,” Gottlieb warned.
E-liquids that contain nicotine can be toxic when swallowed. Exposure can trigger seizures, coma, or death.
The increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes over the past ten years was correlated with an increase in the number of calls to poison control centers and ER visits relating to liquid nicotine and e-cigarette exposures, according to data from the National Poison Data System published in Pediatrics. Between January 2012 and April 2017, were 8269 exposures in children under six years old. “exposure” could mean ingestion or inhalation of substances or absorption through the eyes or skin. There are a variety of exposures that could be toxic or cause overdoses.
The year 2014 saw a one-year-old boy from New York die after accidentally taking in liquid nicotine. He became the first in the US to die from e-liquid poisoning. The First child within the US due to e-liquid poisoning. While the number of exposures to nicotine has declined in the past year — primarily due to the increased regulation and child-proof containers these avoidable incidents remain an issue for public health.
If you are a user of electronic cigarettes, There are some ways you can ensure your safety and that of your family members. It is recommended that you follow the American Association of Poison Control Centers, which suggests safeguarding your skin while using e-liquids and refilling the vaporizer. Also, keep all your e-cigarette products and liquid nicotine away from the accessibility of kids. If you believe you or your child has been exposed to e-liquids and nicotine, immediately contact an emergency poison center in the area (1-800-222-1222).
Electronic nicotine delivery systems were initially promoted as a substitute for adults trying to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. They have since gained popularity among non-smokers, especially among young people who may become addicted to nicotine using the device without smoking a single cigarette.
“While we continue to encourage the development of potentially less harmful forms of nicotine delivery for currently addicted adult smokers, we will not allow that work to come at the expense of our children,” Gottlieb added. The long-term health consequences of using electronic cigarettes aren’t yet known. However, the nicotine they release is highly addictive and may affect the brain development of teenagers and children.
“Companies selling these products have a responsibility to ensure they aren’t putting children in harm’s way or enticing youth use, and we’ll continue to take action against those who sell tobacco products to youth and market products in this egregious fashion,” Gottlieb said. Gottlieb.
