Congress approves bill to require childproof packaging for e-cigs

Concerned that children are being accidentally poisoned by the nicotine in e-cigarettes, Congress has passed legislation to require child-resistant packaging for the liquids that give e-cigarette both their kick and their flavor.

The House of Representatives passed the bill Monday by a voice vote. The Senate approved the measure last month. The bill now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it.

“A few drops of this stuff can cause a child to become extremely ill,” said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who supported the bill.  “Requiring child-proof caps on these bottles is just common sense.”

Nicotine is addictive for adults, but can be deadly for children, said Susanne Tanski, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nicotine can be absorbed through the skin.

"This is a really important piece of common-sense legislation," Tanski said. "Nicotine is quite a powerful drug that has complex effects on the body, including the brain and the whole nervous system."


A 1-year-old boy from Fort Plain, N.Y. died after drinking e-cigarette liquid in 2014.

The number of child poisonings has climbed dramatically as the popularity of e-cigarettes has grown, climbing from 271 cases in 2011 to 3,783 in 2014, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. More than half of poisoning cases have occurred in children under age 6.

Many e-cigarette liquids are colored and flavored like candy, making them tempting to small kids, said Vince Willmore, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Those same features make them popular with teens, whose use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/01/11/congress-approves-bill-require-childproof-packaging-e-cigs/78647614/