It’s simply a fact of nature that kids put things in their mouths. Young children do their best to try anything once— especially if that thing smells like candy, as most e-liquids you find in e-cigarette devices do. A child may be tempted to try a sip of an unattended e-liquid bottle left on a counter. Unfortunately, this could lead to nicotine poisoning.
What is e-liquid?
E-liquid is the fluid used in vape and e-cigarette devices. It’s also called vape liquid, vape juice, or e-juice— they’re all the same thing.
When the user goes to inhale from an e-cigarette or vape, the device heats up the e-liquid, turning it into an aerosol. Then, the user inhales the aerated particles.
Vape ingredients
There’s a myriad of different ingredients that pop up in e-liquid products: flavorings intended to improve the taste, sticky substances like propylene glycol or glycerol, and vegetable glycerin to help create vape “clouds.” But the most dangerous ingredient is liquid nicotine.
Nicotine is highly toxic, which is why it’s been historically used as a pesticide. It’s a chemical that’s readily available in tobacco and vaping products.
What happens if you drink vape juice?
Although e-liquids often smell nice, they’re quite bitter and leave behind a bad aftertaste. It may irritate your mouth or throat. If there is a high concentration of nicotine in it, many people exhibit symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sweating, or increased heart rate within an hour.
After that initial phase, severe exposures may result in slowed heart rate, muscle weakness, or shock. It’s important to seek medical attention right away if experiencing these symptoms.
E-liquids come in a range of nicotine concentrations from 0 to 36 mg of nicotine per ml (and occasionally higher). While inhaling from a vape delivers nicotine to your system quickly, it’s only a fraction of the available nicotine; drinking it allows more to be absorbed. This is dangerous because nicotine is poisonous at high concentrations, especially to people with a small body size (i.e., children).
Nicotine Poisoning and Kids
What is nicotine poisoning?
Nicotine poisoning occurs when too much nicotine enters the body. This chemical has the amazing ability to be readily absorbed by any route into your body— whether that’s via your skin, lungs, or mouth, either by inhaling, eating, drinking, or touching e-liquids or tobacco products.
Did you know that e-liquid can irritate your skin if you touch it? It can deliver nicotine into your body through touch alone, which can be toxic to children. So, it’s important to promptly clean up any spilled vape products with soap and water to avoid severe redness or rash. If you get e-liquid in your eye, quickly begin rinsing the exposed eye under a constant stream of fresh water for at least 15 minutes.
How much nicotine is toxic?
Even a small amount of nicotine can be fatal to a young child.
Generally, “too much” nicotine depends on the person, their tolerance, and their body size. About 2-3 mg of nicotine/kg of body weight may cause symptoms of poisoning, but a child may exhibit symptoms of nicotine poisoning after ingesting about 1 mg of nicotine/kg of body weight.
E-liquid cartridges usually hold 1-2 ml of fluid. Their nicotine concentrations vary but can have upwards of 18mg of nicotine per milliliter. So if a 27 lb (roughly 12 kg) toddler takes a sip of this type of vape liquid, not only may it irritate the child’s mouth, but it may also deliver a toxic dose of nicotine.
Why kids are more at risk for nicotine poisoning
Kids eat all sorts of things, from plastic toys to dirt to feces. A colorful vape pen may be enticing to a small child. Sometimes, vapes are flavored like familiar cereal brands with matching packaging. A child might be curious about a sweetly scented bottle within grabbing distance. They have no idea it can poison them if they take a sip.
Whether someone experiences nicotine poisoning largely depends on that person’s body size. Needless to say, children are small, and they have a much lower nicotine tolerance than most adults. This makes them prime candidates for accidental nicotine poisoning.
Best Prevention Practices
There are measures you can take to keep children away from your vapes, e-cigarettes, and e-liquids:
- Close your product caps all the way when you’re not using them (twisting until they click/can’t move anymore).
- Store cartridges up and away from where a small child could grab them.
- Leave e-liquids in their original containers to avoid confusion.
- Put any extra vape liquid containers in a child-resistant container or cabinet, if available.
- Leave any purses or bags that carry a vape out of reach of children.
- Clean up spills with plenty of soap and water.
If your toddler inhales your vape or consumes e-liquid…
Don’t panic— call the Missouri Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. The specially trained nurses and pharmacists will ask questions to find out the nicotine concentration and how much they inhaled/consumed and follow up to ensure they are safe.
Every case is different. Monitor for symptoms of nicotine poisoning. These symptoms include:
- Increased heart rate
- Drooling
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
Call 911 if your child experiences these symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Unconsciousness
Don’t hesitate to call the Missouri Poison Center. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every call is free and confidential.