E-cigarettes may be more dangerous than previously thought

Daniel King looked at vaping as a positive alternative to the cigarette habit he’d picked up as a teenager.

The popular, battery-powered e-cigarettes deliver a hit of nicotine without all the noxious and carcinogenic fumes associated with tobacco smoking. More than 9 million people now use e-cigarettes. Some evidence suggests they are safer than lighting up.

It didn’t quite work out that way for King.

The 22-year-old slot technician suffered serious burns on his left leg Feb. 8 when a spare lithium ion battery he was carrying ignited in his pants pocket. By the time the fire was extinguished, he’d received second- and third-degree burns on his leg from his hip to his calve and another burn on his hand. He was hospitalized for two days and continues to receive treatment at UMC’s burn care unit.

“I started vaping to stop smoking,” he said Monday. “I thought it was a better alternative. It turns out it wasn’t so good.”

Through attorneys Dennis Prince, Jessica Goodey and Gerald Gillock, King is preparing to sue the battery manufacturer and the local vape shop. It’s another in a rising number incidents nationally in which e-cigarette users have been burned by fires caused by defective or worn batteries.

“There were no warnings, no directions, nothing on the battery itself,” Prince said. “They were sold in Ziploc bags.”

E-cigarettes are easy to use, but they depend on a steady charge from the lithium ion batteries, which are effective for only a few hours. That leads users to carry spare batteries with them, either in a pocket or a purse.

Trouble is, anecdotal evidence suggests friction and even slight wearing can make them volatile. And whether by design or default, in some cases there appears to be a distinct lack of warning on the batteries themselves. Many of the batteries, which are in wide circulation have many other uses, are manufactured by LG Chem.

Major airlines already have weighed in on the dangers of carrying lithium ion batteries loose in luggage. The Federal Aviation Administration in February endorsed a global ban on the batteries, which have caused in-flight fires.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October 2015 issued a brief on the growth of e-cigarette use in the country. Among its findings: almost one-half of current and recent former cigarette smokers had tried e-cigarettes. Long-term smokers were less likely to vape. Whether the change is helping people to quit long-term remains uncertain.

King, a Las Vegas native, knew nothing of those statistics and reported dangers when he went to work in February and wound up at a local hospital with parts of his leg burned down to the muscle. His mother, Jane King, described the ordeal as, “pretty devastating for my son, being hurt and in the hospital.” He spent three weeks recovering at home.

As the attorneys see it, a lack of warning and disclosure has led to incidents throughout the country.

“It’s not safe and fit for the purpose it’s intended,” Gillock observed.

Added Goodey, “Daniel’s motivation for vaping was similar to what many people do, to stop smoking. … Obviously, when you use a vaping device you don’t think you’re going to end up with second- and third-degree burns.”

The good news is, his leg is healing. The litigation is just beginning, but the ordeal has already had one positive impact on Daniel King.

He’s stopped vaping. And who can blame him?

John L. Smith’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Contact him at 702-383-0295 or jsmith@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith