Topic > E-Cigarettes: A Risky Alternative to Smoking

Children may be exposed to e-cigarettes through product use or exposure to ingredients. Children and adolescents are known to imitate the behaviors of adults, so seeing adults using these products may lead them to smoke e-cigarettes. These products come as brightly colored devices, sometimes decorated with fake gemstones and cartoon characters, and would appeal to children and perhaps even adults. The liquid used in e-cigarettes contains nicotine and flavorings that are often available in flavors that children might like, such as watermelon and bubblegum. Liquid nicotine is known to have toxic effects when inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin (Trimarchi & Cassidy, 2011). Children who come into contact with the liquid from these devices can become seriously ill (American Association of Poison Control Centers [AAPCC],