Electronic cigarette explodes in man's mouth, blows out his teeth

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by: S. D. Wells
Tags: e-cigarettes, explode, teeth

(NaturalNews) A Florida man trying to kick the smoking habit had his "e-cig" blow up in his face, thanks to a faulty lithium battery, knocking out his front teeth, blowing off part of his tongue, burning his face severely, and burning up the carpet and the closet where the e-cig "bottle rocket" landed in his room.

The victim, Tom Holloway of Niceville, Florida, is recovering after being rushed to the USA Burn Center; however, if the battery had been launched toward the back of his throat, he may not have survived.

Holloway's wife called 911 saying her husband's face was "all blown up" and that he was bleeding. The force of the explosion was so devastating that investigators couldn't even make out the brand of the cigarette device, but the lithium battery charger and extra batteries were still in the room.

The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) is trying its best to re-assure e-cig users worldwide that this is an isolated occurrence. Even if that's true, expect future incidences, either from faulty batteries or from faulty "nic-juice," the pure nicotine solution that is diluted with filtered water and then spiced up with unregulated natural and artificial flavorings.

An e-cig is comprised of four basic parts, the atomizer (heating element), a battery, a cartridge (mouthpiece), and an LED light cover, the gimmick which makes it look like a lit cigarette. The atomizer is responsible for vaporizing the liquid, and is generally made from metal mesh to draw in the propylene glycol and the nicotine liquid. This metal could serve like a hand grenade if for some reason the LED end got clogged up, and Mr. Holloway may have "gotten off light," even though he's missing front teeth and most likely enduring facial scars for life.

The use of e-cigs has grabbed the attention of smokers worldwide, with claims they are less damaging to one's health than commercial cigarettes, and that they may form as a medium for quitting smoking. Though it is true that e-cigs do not contain tar, pesticides, ammonia, and many other chemicals (4,000 in an average cigarette), the side effects of nicotine and propylene glycol are enough to scare you straight! Combine these detrimental chemicals with a chance of the e-cig "bottle rocket incident," and you may just be the next victim on the popular Spike TV show "1,000 Ways to Die."

Don't trade one bad habit for another

Nicotine addicts are defending e-cigs like they're the best thing since sliced bread, but e-cigs are far from safe. Nicotine itself carries a laundry list of side effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, narrowing of blood vessels which leads to heart attacks/strokes, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disturbances, headaches, loss of sex drive, insulin resistance, and vision problems. Nicotine dangerously controls your hormones that are responsible for motivation and relaxation.

Besides containing cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines, e-cigs contain Propylene Glycol (PG), a petroleum derivative which can weaken protein and cellular structure, causing kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It is present in many stick deodorants. The EPA warns factory workers to avoid skin contact with PG in industrial applications. It is actually slightly combustible, so if you buy some e-juice from a non-reputable manufacturer, you may be sparking up the next "battery operated nic-juice rocket launcher" from your own mouth.

If you truly want to escape the nicotine addiction, 14AndOut is the organic, all-natural method to stop smoking inside of 14 days. (http://www.youtube.com) 14AndOut is your chance to put an end to the chemicals once and for all! This 60 minute video comes with a nutritional guide and is available on NaturalNewsTV. It comes highly recommended by the Health Ranger himself (http://premium.naturalnews.tv/14AndOut__WS.htm).

Sources for this article include:

http://www.newser.com

http://www.imcub.com

http://www.tveca.com/

http://www.thesmartstyleliving.com/ereviewg.asp?source=goo

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nicotine-side-effects.html

http://antiagingchoices.com/harmful_ingredients/propylene_glycol.htm

http://www.ppe.com/msds/Propylene%20glycol.pdf