Retrospective review of nicotine exposures in California from 2012 to 2018 and analysis of the impacts of e-cigarette regulations

Abstract

Objectives: To review the association between US e-cigarette regulations and the number of reported nicotine exposures, and identify higher-risk products DESIGN: Retrospective review of de-identified medical records.

Setting: California PARTICIPANTS: Cases reported to California Poison Control System in 2012-2018.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: Suspected nicotine toxicity; route of exposure and product characteristics.

Results: We examined 5277 exposures, of which 3033 involved combustible cigarettes, 1489 involved e-cigarettes and 818 involved other substances (ie, chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges, hookah, etc). Implementation of the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015 was not significantly associated with reduced exposures. Exposures for e-cigarettes increased significantly after the 2017 Food and Drug Administration Compliance Policy (p=0.003, coefficient (coeff)=0.61). Total exposures for all tobacco and nicotine products also increased significantly after the policy change (p=0.01, coeff=1.26). Nicotine exposure outcomes classified as being of minor and moderate severity increased significantly after implementation of the 2017 Compliance Policy (p=0.004, coeff=0.54 and p=0.002, coeff=0.56, respectively). Ingestion was the most common route of exposure (87.7%), followed by inhalation (8.1%), dermal (6.5%), ocular (2.1%) and other (intranasal, rectal, sublingual and unknown) routes (0.2%); some cases reported multiple routes of exposure. Exposure cases involving e-cigarettes fell into three problem categories: product design, labelling and the appeal of flavours.

Conclusions: Our analysis found that despite previous studies suggesting that the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act appeared to have reduced exposures for e-cigarettes, there was no significant change in exposures after its implementation. In contrast, there was a 30% increase in California e-cigarette exposures following the 2017 Compliance Policy. We conclude that current regulations are insufficient to reduce nicotine toxicities due to e-cigarette use.

Keywords: child protection; public health; toxicology.