While the health hazards of e-cigarettes are still being studied, one danger seems clear… Sometimes, they explode.
That was the case for a teenage boy who was seriously injured when an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth, breaking his jaw and blowing out teeth.
According to the report, the 17-year-old arrived at the emergency room 2 hours after the explosion with extensive wounds to his mouth, several missing teeth and a broken lower jaw.
Doctors needed to remove several teeth from the boy’s mouth because their sockets had been destroyed. The boy also needed a dental plate put under his lower gums to stabilize his jawbone.
But his mouth still wouldn’t close properly, and so doctors wired his jaw shut for six weeks to give it time to heal, Russell said.
Surprising extent of injury
Russell and her colleagues wanted to publish this case because they were surprised by the extent of injury that occurred from an e-cigarette, she said.
“When I met this patient, I had no idea that a vape pen could do this. It takes a lot of force to break your jaw,” Russell said.
It’s now been more than a year since the boy’s incident, and during that time, more reports of e-cigarette explosions have come to light. In February, a 24-year-old man in Texas died after a vape pen exploded in his face and tore a major artery in his neck.
Rare but dangerous explosions
E-cigarette explosions appear to be rare, but they are very dangerous, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The exact cause of these explosions isn’t clear. In the boy’s case, the device was in good condition and hadn’t shown any problems prior to the explosion, Russell said.
Some evidence suggests that issues with the devices’ batteries may lead to explosions, the FDA says. To help prevent these explosions, the FDA recommends:
- Avoid charging their e-cigarette overnight or leaving the device unattended while charging
- Avoid using cellphone or tablet chargers with the devices
- Replace vape pen batteries if they get damaged or wet
- Protect the device from extreme hot or cold temperatures, such as by not leaving it in direct sunlight or in a cold or hot car for long periods.
Still missing teeth
The teen boy still has missing teeth, as he has not been able to get replacements due to insurance reasons, Russell said. But he hopes to get new teeth this summer.
Russell hopes the case helps educate health care providers and the public about the risks of these devices. “It seems like this technology really hit the market with force, and we may have been undereducated about the risks associated with these devices.“
As for the boy’s e-cigarette habit — he’s not using them anymore. “He totally quit all cigarettes after this incident,” Russell said.
I would have never thought e-cigarettes could explode in such a power a jaw would break. That is insane and dangerous! Be careful!
[NEJM, FDA, LiveScience]
My first question that comes to mind is who was buying the cigarettes for someone 17 years old when legal age to smoke was 19 and recently changed to 21? The fact that the mother bought e-vapes for her underage son is absurd. One would have to assume that she was also buying him the cigarettes as well.
Anyhow, smoking in any form is dangerous at any age