Liquid nicotine: Just a teaspoon could kill

[trebli]

The nanny state do-gooders will use this as excuse to ban e-cigs.

It can be bought on the Internet in flavors like chocolate and bubble gum — and just a teaspoon could kill a child: The New York Times takes a look at liquid nicotine, the e-liquid used in e-cigarettes, which it describes as a "powerful neurotoxin ... far more dangerous than tobacco."

"It's not a matter of if a child will be seriously poisoned or killed. It's a matter of when," says a director with California's Poison Control System. "This is one of the most potent naturally occurring toxins we have. One tablespoon could kill an adult." And it's an unregulated toxin (bottles, for instance, don't have to be childproof), sold legally to anyone with a reusable e-cigarette.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...oning/6826991/

[Skell18]

The nanny state do-gooders will use this as excuse to ban e-cigs.

It can be bought on the Internet in flavors like chocolate and bubble gum — and just a teaspoon could kill a child: The New York Times takes a look at liquid nicotine, the e-liquid used in e-cigarettes, which it describes as a "powerful neurotoxin ... far more dangerous than tobacco."

"It's not a matter of if a child will be seriously poisoned or killed. It's a matter of when," says a director with California's Poison Control System. "This is one of the most potent naturally occurring toxins we have. One tablespoon could kill an adult." And it's an unregulated toxin (bottles, for instance, don't have to be childproof), sold legally to anyone with a reusable e-cigarette.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...oning/6826991/

Thats just natural selection.

[squeezyjohn]

Frankly I've worried about this with e-liquids too. It's one thing having tobacco around the house with kids but those liquids are far more concentrated and have smells and tastes designed to be like foodstuffs.

I've had the experience of forcing deadly nightshade berries out of my kids mouth when they got a bit adventurous ... things like that DO happen no matter what precautions you take.

If e-liquids get regulated harder because of this it will be because of the laziness of the companies peddling it in inappropriate containers - not the nanny-state do gooders! It's pretty obvious that if they taste of cotton-candy and come in non-child-proof bottles then sooner or later a child will find and open one and think this smells nice!

[QuincyBaker]

I agree with squeezy.

I definitely think that manufacturers should put e-liquids in child proof containers. Not only would children be interested if they found a great smelling bottle, but I've had to tell my son that it's not okay to play with snus cans.

When kids see their parents do something, sometimes they get interested in doing it too. I had to teach my son that it's not fun to pretend that tootsie rolls are snus when you put them in your upper lip. He did it because he wants to be just like daddy, and he always sees me shoving tobacco under my lip.

[squeezyjohn]

Frankly I try and hide my snus from them too ... fine when it's in there - we can all forget about it. But I don't let them see me put it in or take it out if I can help it. I would have a better life if I'd never found nicotine as a habit ... and I think that's true for most people.

The fact that I enjoy the gourmet side is a massively enjoyable vice ... but it would be better if that gourmet side of things was applied to something else like cheese or paté from a health point of view. As it is - I love and understand tobacco and it pains me that this thing that I love and am addicted to is not harmless. The flavours you can get from tobacco cannot be replicated anywhere else in the food world.

[lxskllr]

I used to take my daughter to work with me sometimes, and my partner thought he caught my daughter trying my nasal snuff when he went back to the truck for something. That was fine. I'd be disappointed in her if she didn't try it. Low curiosity is a sign of low intellect imo.

[squeezyjohn]

I agree lxskllr - but you need that curiosity coupled with someone who knows when something is going to kill you to scream at you to stop ... snus, nasal snuff is maybe going to make you sick ... e-liquids is a whole different ball park. My main concern is all the sub-humans out there with tiny intellect who just don't have a clue what they're playing with.

[Thunder_Snus]

When I was 14 and had just gotten into nicotine me and my friends had to settle for a pack of marlboro ultra lights a friend had swiped from the mountain of cartons his dad had of them. I was past the point when I got buzzes but not QUITE addicted to nicotine. This ultra light was like smoking lightly smoke flavored air so i tore the filter off. That there almost killed me, I may have lost consciousness for a brief second. If that had killed me it would have been my fault for being an idiot. And the same goes for this. I don't think I will ever get into ecigs unless for some reason I can't snus and my second go at nasal snuff still doesn't work for me.
Why is it all of these countries have such a strong stance on gun laws.....either yes gun or no guns at all.....yet they all keep trying to find ways to ban nicotine. This is natural selection at work if someone is careless enough to die form this or allow someone to have this that shouldn't. Just like that kid that had his head booted off at that six flags in Georgia......natural selection.

[squeezyjohn]

Yeah yeah ... the rest of the world are idiots and your country is ideal ... we all know that!

[Thunder_Snus]

Yeah yeah ... the rest of the world are idiots and your country is ideal ... we all know that!

My country is part of those countries I was talking about. Not a jab at any country at all, just a jab at politics as a whole.

[squeezyjohn]

OK then ... but by your own logic we should stop putting child-proof lids on all pharmaceutical pills and whatnot that could lead to an overdose because that would allow more children to die by accident - increasing the gene-pool of naturally un-curious genes.

But of course that would not happen because the effects of selection are not visible generally until about 50-100 generations have passed under such a small selective pressure. Everyone knows that, right? I hardly think that e-liquids will be about in any kind of container in 2000 years time - so the natural selection argument doesn't hold.

By arguing that concentrated nicotine solution should not be regulated so that the containers cannot be accessed by unknowing minors you are simply saying that you would prefer somebody's son or daughter to die by accident rather rather than some company have the slightly increased cost of putting it in a responsible container. Maybe you all think that ... but I'd like to believe you were nicer people.

[Thunder_Snus]

OK then ... but by your own logic we should stop putting child-proof lids on all pharmaceutical pills and whatnot that could lead to an overdose because that would allow more children to die by accident - increasing the gene-pool of naturally un-curious genes.

But of course that would not happen because the effects of selection are not visible generally until about 50-100 generations have passed under such a small selective pressure. Everyone knows that, right? I hardly think that e-liquids will be about in any kind of container in 2000 years time - so the natural selection argument doesn't hold.

By arguing that concentrated nicotine solution should not be regulated so that the containers cannot be accessed by unknowing minors you are simply saying that you would prefer somebody's son or daughter to die by accident rather rather than some company have the slightly increased cost of putting it in a responsible container. Maybe you all think that ... but I'd like to believe you were nicer people.

I'm not saying any of those things. I'm saying all governments, the U.S included, needs to stop sticking their heads into anything involving tobacco or nicotine prompting our media to label it the next big thing that will hook your kids or kill them. Sometimes companies make things that customers want and their whole motivation is something other than killing the entire population or getting 3 year olds addicted to nicotine.

Recently a snuson member wrote about his kid digging into the garbage and eating used portions making them very sick......does that mean all cans need to have childproof lids?
RickCharles shared his experience with his under 18 son using tobacco....did he come on here saying those damn tobacco nazi's were marketing to his kid.
My parent's residence in Virginia is surrounded by tobacco fields and if you go picking the leaves off the plant without gloves you can die.....how do you protect people from that.

My point is everything that is new that involves tobacco does not need to have this huge media storm about "how this will kill your kids, stick with us on news at 9." I'm not going to sit back idly and laugh as curious 3 year olds open up these viles of nicotine and die from spilling it on themselves, we just need to stop blaming these companies simply supplying for a demand because the Zimmerman trial is over and there is no other news to cover.

[Premium Parrots]

well.........we all know it was the skittles and the iced tea that killed Travon.

[squeezyjohn]

If you want a totally unregulated free market then you get these kinds of issues and the outcome is never usually the best in terms of public health because the company wants to make as large a profit as possible.

If you want a completely unregulated free media then they will report on anything that lots of people find fascinating because it will drive up TV ratings and newspaper sales.

If, on the other hand, like me, you believe that human beings are fundamentally flawed and will not always do the right thing given free choice - then you need a government of some sort to intervene and create a framework to allow the right actions to be taken in the interests of the majority. And luckily that's what most of us have in the west.

I'm not saying that you can prevent every accidental death through legislation ... I'm not saying that people shouldn't be responsible for their own actions ... I'm saying that companies have recently started marketing a liquid in attractive fruity flavours that has the potential to do as much damage if ingested as a whole bottle of paracetamol ... and I'm saying that it should be subject to the same regulations as applies to the pharmaceutical drug.

If the companies making these e-liquids had been responsible in the first place then there would be no chance of any media storm happening.

[QuincyBaker]

There are a lot of crappy people out there.

With the increasing popularity and availability of e-cigarettes, some pretty terrible parents will have nicotine liquid lying around. I'm sure there are lots of people that wouldn't even think it could be dangerous to kids or animals; even to other adults.

I just think there should be standards. I'm happy there are quality, safety, and manufacturing standards in the snus industry. I know what's in my snus, and I like that. Some manufacturers make a great product because they really want to, but I'm sure there have been snus makers before that would cut every corner possible of they could.
Some e-liquid manufacturers already list ingredients and use child safety bottles. But of course not everyone would. I mean, a company could throw lead into a bottle, and there's nothing to stop them from that right now.

Requiring food grade additives, or whatever else that's safe for human consumption, and safety bottles.

But I still think e-liquid would be labeled dangerous by the media with a story like "E-Cigarettes. Is there a killer hiding in your own home?!" That'll happen whether safety standards/laws exist or not.