There have been a number of serious injuries caused by e-cigarette use. Most of the immediate injuries have been caused when an e-cigarette exploded. This has occurred both while vaping and while being carried or stored by unsuspecting consumers.
Injuries from these explosions include serious thermal burns, deep tissue chemical burns, and damage to skin and bones that require months of treatment, including painful skin and bone grafts, as well as facial reconstruction. There is also evidence that the vaping liquids contain toxins that cause lung disease and cell damage.
E-cigarette cases are leading to lawsuits seeking damages for physical, emotional, and financial injuries.
How Do I Know if I have a Vaping Injury Case?
To start the legal process, contact Domenic Sanginiti, Jr., an experienced electronic cigarette injury attorney, for a free, no-obligation consultation about your injuries or vaping injury case. Please use the form below or call toll free 24 hours a day at (609) 895-7399.
Doesn’t the Law Protect us from the Harmful Effects of E-Cigarettes?
There are no specific government regulations that e-cigarette products be submitted to product design and safety testing, including the liquids used in the vaping process of the products. Unfortunately, this policy puts unsuspecting consumers at risk—many of whom are teens and young adults.
With no legal requirement to ensure product safety, vape manufacturers and resellers have been able to manufacture products without considering the risks to innocent consumer. Because of this laissez faire approach, dangerous products have entered the marketplace resulting in catastrophic, life-altering injuries.
Contrary to the vaping industry hype, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), only 25% of the explosions have occurred during the charging process.
What Should I Do if I Suffered an E-Cigarette Related Injury?
Because the vaping industry does not seem to be looking out for its customers, the best way for injured parties to be made whole again, at least financially, is by filing a lawsuit that forces these parties to take responsibility and provide compensation to injured consumers.
Stark & Stark is currently accepting e-cigarette induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or a loved one has been injured, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact Domenic Sanginiti Jr, who concentrates in this type of litigation or call toll free 24 hours a day at (609) 895-7399.
Learn More About the Harmful Effects of E-Cigarettes and Vaping
Is Vaping Safe?
A big question in the marketplace is whether or not E-cigarettes are safe. Scientific reports show that the potential harm from vaping is equal to, or more harmful than traditional cigarettes. There have been numerous reports on the harmful health effects of vaping including studies on vaping liquids that show evidence of cancer-causing and poisonous toxins that can cause severe lung disease, DNA changes, and other cell damage.
E-cigarettes can also explode causing severe heat and chemical burns. A 2017 U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) report stated that as long as lithium-ion batteries continue to be used in e-cigarettes, severe, and catastrophic injuries will continue to occur.
To date, there has been little active movement on the part of vaping companies to change batteries or the product design of vaping pens and related vaping devices.
Why do Electronic Cigarettes Explode?
Electronic cigarettes use a battery-powered heating element to vaporize liquids that contain nicotine. The vapor is inhaled into the lungs delivering nicotine into the body and bloodstream. Current vaping models are powered by lithium ion batteries. In e-cigarettes, cylindrical lithium-ion batteries are installed in a similar cylindrical tube—one that is weakest at both ends.
When a battery failure causes an explosion, the USFA states the batteries “shoot” out of the tube like “rockets.” This is different from other products that enclose batteries in thick plastic housings (laptops) or those that use flat batteries (cell phones). If a person is using the e-cigarette when it explodes, these “rockets” can shoot into the mouth causing severe head and mouth injuries, in addition to both heat and chemical burns.
Other products like phones and laptops also contain lithium ion batteries, and, are also known to explode. For example, in the Samsung phone explosions, the company admitted there were two battery problems: 1) there wasn’t enough room between the heat-sealed protective pouch around the battery and its internals; and 2) cells were missing insulation tape. Samsung pulled its product from the market after just a few cases of explosion and harmful injuries.
E-cigarette manufacturers and retailers have not followed Samsung in its efforts to protect consumers from the type of harm caused by vaping explosions.
What Type of Injuries are Caused by Vaping Explosions?
E-cigarettes are known to explode causing devastating burns, tissue and bone damage that may result in months of painful treatment and years to heal. Injuries reported include:
- Skin Loss
- Bone Loss
- Severe Jaw and Facial Damage
- Loss of Appendages and Other Body Parts
- 3rd Degree Burns
- Loss of Mobility
- Potential Brain Damage
- Facial Injuries
- Infection from Injuries
- Smoke Inhalation
- 2nd Degree Burns
- Lacerations Requiring Stitches
- Minor Lacerations
- 1st Degree Burns
Are there Other Harmful Side Effects of Vaping?
- DNA Damage – A recent study showed that e-cigarettes cause DNA damage in the same way as traditional cigarettes. The results revealed that DNA damage increases with the number of puffs. This is important information for e-cigarette users who may falsely believe they can vape as much as they want without the damaging effects of standard tobacco products.
- Nicotine Addiction – Remember how the tobacco companies intentionally designed cigarettes to increase nicotine addiction? Nicotine in E-cigarettes is absorbed directly into the bloodstream increasing release of dopamine to the pleasure centers of the brain. Introduction of nicotine in any form can lead to addiction and use of e-cigarettes doesn’t change that risk.
- Lung Damage – According the U.S. Surgeon General and numerous scientific studies, the inhaled aerosol from e-cigarettes can contain harmful chemicals including diacetyl which is linked to serious lung disease, Popcorn Lung, benzene as in car exhaust, Diethylene Glycol, a chemical in antifreeze; and Formaldehyde (embalming fluid). It also can contain nickel, tin, and lead.
- What is “Popcorn Lung?” – According to the American Lung Association, “popcorn lung,” which is most often associated with workers at microwave popcorn factories, who were breathing diacetyl, results in lung damages that includes severe scarring of the lung’s sensitive air sacs. The damage is usually irreversible causing coughing and chronic breathing problems. A Harvard study showed that 75% of flavored electronic cigarettes contain Diacetyl. If passive breathing of the chemical caused Popcorn Lung in factory workers, imagine what active vaping can do to the lungs of an e-cigarette users.
- Cancer – Besides exposure to the cancer causing chemicals and heavy metals above, a recent scientific study showed that after discontinuing e-cigarette use for six months, 92 percent of e-cigarette users still tested positive for two of the five chemicals known to cause bladder cancer.
- Heart Attack – A study from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) showed that inhaling nicotine increases the risk of heart attack.
- Risk of Explosion – In addition, e-cigarettes are known to explode causing devastating tissue and bone damage as well as burns that may take years to heal.
Studies Related to Harmful Effects of Vaping:
- DNA Damage
- Epithelial Cell Damage And DNA Strand Breaks
- Mouth Cavity Cell Damage
- Vaping May Suppress Immune System
- Increased Heart Rate, Blood Pressure
- Increased Oxidative Stress
- Arterial Stiffness
- Risk Of Respiratory Disease
- Vaping Damages Tissue In Nasal Cavity
- Popcorn Lung: A Dangerous Risk of Flavored E-Cigarettes
E-Cigarette Explosion Videos
- E-Cig Explosion Sets Man on Fire
- E-Cigarette Explodes in Woman’s Lap
- Victim of Exploding E-Cigarette Speaks Out
- Growing Concern of E-Cigarette Explosions
- Exploding E-Cig Knocks 7 Teeth Out of Man’s Mouth
- Man Hospitalized After E-Cigarette Explodes in Pocket
- E-Cig Explodes in Bus Passenger’s Pocket
- Tustin Man Recovering After E-Cig Explodes in His Mouth
- Caught on Video: E-Cig Explosion
Recent Articles on the Harmful Effects and Dangers of E-Cigarettes
- E-Cigarette Starts Fire/Panic at Airport
- Cancer-Causing Toxins Found in Vaping Teens
- E-Cigarettes Gateway to Conventional Cigarette Smoking
- Lithium Battery Explosion Shuts Down Orlando Airport
- E-cigarette Product Construction Linked to Severity of Explosion Injuries
- E-Cigarette Flavors—Should They Be Banned?
- The Unique Explosion Dangers of E-Cigarettes
I Was Injured in an E-Cigarette Related Injury – Where Can I Get Legal Advice?
Stark & Stark is currently accepting e-cigarette induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or a loved one has been injured, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact Domenic Sanginiti Jr, who focuses in this type of litigation or call toll free 24 hours a day at (609) 895-7399.
