Burns caused by e-cigarettes

A study of American burn treatment centers provides a picture of the burns inflicted on users by e-cigarette batteries.

Burn injuries caused by e-cigarettes were analyzed from the records of five major U.S. burn centers.1]. Based on the files of 127 patients admitted between 2015 and 2019, several observations were made:

• Most patients (78%) were injured while using their e-cigarette;
• 18% patients reported spontaneous combustion of the electronic device. 3% were injured by second-hand e-cigarettes. Two people were injured while changing their battery, and two others were injured while modifying their e-cigarette;
• Burns were still present, and accompanied by blast-related injuries in 4% of the cases;
• In 70% of the cases, burns were caused by flames, but most patients had a combination of burn causes;
• Two-thirds of the patients had second-degree burns;
• Most burns covered less than 10% of the total body surface area, with the average being about 4%. The most affected body parts were the extremities;
• 36% of patients required surgery, with skin grafting in 43% of cases;
• Most patients required hospitalization, but the majority of non-hospitalized patients nevertheless had a favorable outcome.

Not so safe technology

Although they are presented as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, e-cigarettes carry various risks, some of which are related to the electronic device itself and are more particularly caused by the overheating of the batteries. While cases of accidents are rare, they are not exceptional and data are accumulating concerning injuries caused by batteries that have exploded or caught fire.2].

Several other American studies have focused on e-cigarette burns and accidents. One of these analyzed 2,035 cases of burns caused by e-cigarette explosions that required a visit to the hospital emergency room between 2015 and 2017.3]. Another study, based on data from the National Poison Data Center, found a gradual increase in burn injuries from 2010, with a peak in 2016, followed by a decline between 2016 and 2019[4].

Keywords: Electronic cigarettes, batteries, burns ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Flores C, Chestovich P, Saquib S, Carroll J, Al-Hamad M, Foster K, Delapena S, Richey K, Lallemand M, Dennis B, Palmieri T, Romanowski K, Godat L, Lee J, Electronic Cigarette-Related Injuries Presenting to Five Large Burn Centers, 2015-2019. Journal of Burn Care & Research, irab114. Published June 18, 2021, accessed June 22, 2021. [2] Brownson E, Thompson C, Goldsberry S, Chong J, Friedrich J, Pham T, Arbabi S,Carrougher G, Gibran N, Explosion Injuries from E-Cigarettes. N Engl J Med 2016; 375:1400-1402. [3] Rossheim ME, Livingston MD, Soule EK, Zeraye HA, Thombs DL. Electronic cigarette explosion and burn injuries, US emergency departments 2015-2017.Tob Control. 2019;28(4):472–4. [4] Wang B, Liu S, Rostron B, Hayslett C, Burn injuries related to E-cigarettes reported to poison control centers in the United States, 2010–2019. Injury Epidemiology (2020) 7:36. National Committee Against Smoking |