A 1-year-old died in upstate NY this week after ingesting liquid nicotine from an e-cigarette. According to the Albany Times Union, emergency workers were called to a Fort Plain home in Mohawk Valley just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday in response to an unconscious toddler. "It does appear to be just a tragic accident," said village police Sgt. Austin Ryan.
According to ABC, this is believed to be the first accidental e-cig related death ever, and the second death overall (a man committed suicide by injecting himself with liquid nicotine in 2012): "One teaspoon of liquid nicotine could be lethal to a child, and smaller amounts can cause severe illness, often requiring trips to the emergency department," the American Association of Poison Control centers said in a statement. "Despite the dangers these products pose to children, there are currently no standards set in place that require child-proof packaging."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says calls to poison control centers about liquid nicotine have jumped from one per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014; more than half the calls were about children under 5.
The New York State Assembly and Senate have already passed a bill that would require the packaging on liquid nicotine be child-resistant. But the bill hasn't reached Gov. Cuomo's desk yet, according to the Times Union; once he signs it, it would become law. "Especially after this episode, anybody who might have any concerns should take a second look at this issue," assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, one of the sponsors of the bill, added.
