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While puffing away on an e-cigarette may not be as bad for your health as a standard-issue heater, there are other risks involved. Such as, the chemicals might morph into a burning ring of fire, headed straight for your face.
NBC L.A. reports that a 23-year-old man from Tustin was enjoying an e-cigarette in his bedroom on Friday night when the device exploded in his face.
According to the Orange County Fire Authority, firefighters arrived at the home on the 14600 block of Carfax Drive around 10:30 in response to a report of a person burned. They found the man with burns and cuts on his face, and he was taken to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown.
"These devices are more dangerous than people realize," OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz told City News Service. "Here you have a device that combines high heat and a battery in close proximity and sometimes these accidents happen."
They sure do! In 2013, an e-cigarette battery exploded in a car, described as "a blowtorch type of fire and then an explosion," causing second-degree burns. An Orange County man lost an eye after "shrapnel" embedded in his eye socket when his e-cig exploded in April.
E-cigs were banned in the same places cigarettes are (i.e. bars, restaurants, parks, beaches) in Los Angeles as well as in parts of Santa Monica in 2014. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced thate-cigs would be regulated under federal authority, which will in part require new health warnings (such as, "these could possibly explode in your face") and will limit their sales to minors.
