Serious Vaping Injuries

Vaping continues to grow in popularity and a recent study reports that 11 million Americans are now using these e-cigarettes. At the time of this article, only Alaska had not officially reported an injury related to vaping. Injuries can happen either through explosions or through the development of lung injuries. With over 1,000 lung-related injuries, 29 deaths and now the Federal Emergency Management Agency reports hundreds of vaping explosions throughout the United States.

Lung-Related Vaping Injuries

In late 2019, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) directly addressed lung-related vaping injuries. In many cases, a doctor may not be able to determine the differences between vaping-related lung issues and other serious medical conditions such as influenza or respiratory infections. It is important for a physician to know if the patient has any kind of experience with vaping in order to make an accurate diagnosis. Many medical conditions have a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain or gastrointestinal issues as symptoms, and therefore, it is imperative that a doctor knows that the victim has a history of vaping.

Vaping Explosions

Even if a person does not suffer injuries from a lung-related vaping medical condition, a victim may still suffer injuries due to a vaping explosion. There are several ways a vaping explosion may occur including when the person uses the device and it explodes in the hands of the smoker causing severe injuries to the face, neck, arms, upper body or hands. In other cases, the vaping explosion may occur when the e-cigarette is being charged and heats and explodes. In other cases, the explosion may occur while it is in the pocket or purse of the user. Any of these explosions can lead to serious and catastrophic injuries or death.

In most cases, the explosions of vaping devices occur from battery defects. These lithium-ion batteries often overheat and explode. These devices oftentimes come from other countries that have no regulation regarding these devices. Safety standards do not exist and therefore, these devices as well as continue to cause serious injuries. If the hot gas builds up with no place to release, the explosion may be deadly. These explosions have been compared to rockets or bombs, and unleash substantial force causing serious injuries.

Regulations

In January 2020, The Food and Drug Administration officially banned some different types of vaping products in order to remove the temptation from younger children and teenagers. However, with lung-injury related medical conditions continuing to rise and causing deaths, along with more explosions causing injuries, experts agree that more federal and state legislation restricting such products is likely in the future.

Reach Out to Us Today for Help

If you, or a loved one, were injured due to an e-cigarette lung-condition or a vaping explosion, you may have substantial medical bills, pain and suffering and lost wages due to your inability to return to work. Contact a Columbia personal injury attorney at The Stanley Law Group at 803-799-4700 to help you build a strong case and help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Resource:

usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electronic_cigarettes.pdf

reuters.com/article/us-health-ecigs-us-adults/almost-one-in-20-u-s-adults-now-use-e-cigarettes-idUSKCN1LC2DN

wsj.com/articles/cdc-reports-rising-incidence-of-vaping-injuries-1156934597

sciencenews.org/article/vaping-tied-nearly-1300-lung-injuries-29-deaths-united-states

https://www.thestanleylawgroup.com/surgical-errors/