Exploding E-Cigarettes Cause Concerns Among Burn Center Doctors

According to a recent news report in The Republic, the Arizona Burn Center has begun monitoring e-cigarette explosions with plans to document the phenomenon in a medical journal. So far, the center has documented 12 cases of exploding e-cigarettes over the past 12 weeks – that’s one e-cig explosion a week! Officials at the burn center say such explosions have resulted in extensive burn injuries that require multiple skin grafts.

Among the recent visitors to the center was Hailey Boyce, a 17-year-old, who suffered such severe burns that she underwent three surgeries and several skin grafts. Some of the explosions documented by the center occurred when users were in the process of igniting the device. Others suffered injuries when the device’s battery exploded in their pants’ pockets.

The Danger of E-Cig Explosions

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reported in October 2014 that it documented 25 cases of exploding e-cigarettes over a five-year period. The incidents have quickly multiplied and continue to do so. The federal agency has now created an incident code that local fire departments are encouraged to use to track how frequently these e-cigarette explosions occur.

While these incidents might not seem like much considering millions of Americans smoke these devices, the danger cannot be minimized. The e-cigs can act like flaming rockets if their lithium-ion batteries malfunction or overheat. The fire administration reported that the most common explosions occurred when the battery was charging.

Defective Devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently set forth new standards for manufacturers including battery safety. Officials are saying that the public needs to become more educated about the dangers of these devices. The fact is that these devices are made very poorly without consideration for consumer safety and burn centers are increasingly seeing injuries that can be extremely severe. If one of these devices blows up in a person’s hand or face, the consequences could be devastating.

Our product defect attorneys continue to investigation e-cigarette explosion cases. We are also representing injured victims who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of these dangerous and defective devices. If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of an exploding e-cigarette, please remember that you have legal rights. Contact us to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.