297992
Accidental Pediatric Electronic Cigarette Exposures Reported to the National Poison Data System
Methods: NPDS data were queried for all calls to the 56 United States (U.S.) poison centers from June 1, 2010 through September 30, 2013 for exposures among children <=5 years to electronic cigarettes. Demographic, exposure, and clinical characteristics were assessed. Changes in rates of call volume per month were analyzed using linear spline regression modeling.
Results: A total of 717 exposures were reported, of which 98.2% of exposures occurred in a residential setting. Most exposures (89.3%) resulted from ingestions of the liquid component of the electronic cigarettes. Texas (n=68), Washington (n=52), and Utah (n=49) reported the most exposures. Temporal trends showed an initial change in rate of 0.63 [95% CI: 0.46-0.79] increased exposures per month from June 2010 through January 2013 to 6.77 increased exposures per month [95% CI: 5.89-7.65]. Among medical outcomes, 40.6% of children experienced no effects and 48.3% of children had no more than minor effects reported or expected.
Discussion: While studies are demonstrating increasing prevalence of electronic cigarettes, an unfortunate consequence is increased access by young children. Poison centers serve an instrumental role in surveillance efforts with data on intentional and unintentional exposures. These findings show pediatric exposures to electronic cigarettes are increasing over time, which may also reflect rising popularity of these products among U.S. consumers.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related education
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe recent trends in electronic cigarette exposures in children.
Identify most common route and site of exposure of electronic cigarette exposures in children.
Evaluate the role of poison center data in identifying emerging exposure trends.
Keyword(s): Surveillance, Children and Adolescents
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the epidemiologist at the poison center and my main interests involve designing and analyzing studies that bridge toxicology and epidemiology. I have extensive experience with managing databases and using the data our poison center provides to address emerging public health concerns.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.