A teenage boy from Nevada shattered his jaw and broke several of his teeth after his electronic cigarette exploded in his mouth, which he’d bought to help him quit smoking last year.
Austin Adams, 17, who lives in Rural Ely, was rushed to Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City – an agonizing five hour drive away – after the device blew up in his face in March 2018.
His mother Kailani Burton had recently brought him the smoking tool from a company called VGOD, in a bid to ease her son’s addiction to tobacco.
‘Austin came in with his hand up to his mouth,’ Burton, 45, recalled to NBC News of the incident. ‘He was in shock and unable to speak’.
A teenage boy from Nevada shattered his jaw and broke several of his teeth after his electronic cigarette exploded in his mouth, which he’d bought to help him quit smoking last year.
Austin Adams, 17, who lives in Rural Ely, was rushed to Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City – an agonizing five hour drive away – after the device blew up in his face in March 2018.
His mother Kailani Burton had recently brought him the smoking tool from a company called VGOD, in a bid to ease her son’s addiction to tobacco.
‘Austin came in with his hand up to his mouth,’ Burton, 45, recalled to NBC News of the incident. ‘He was in shock and unable to speak’.
According to the body, E-cigarette explosions most commonly occur when the devices’ lithium-ion battery overheats.
However, while the FDA may be issuing warning letters to manufacturers of electronic smoking products warning of marketing violations and sales to minors, they haven’t issued warnings about the potential of the batteries overheating and exploding, NBC reported.
Instead, the agency is asking companies to re-work their products to minimize the risks of injuries such as Adams’ from occurring.
‘The FDA encourages manufacturers interested in making modifications to address battery safety issues to contact the agency to discuss options on how they can do so in a timely fashion and the FDA will consider each situation on a case-by-case basis,’ a spokesman from the body said.
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Russell said the product’s drastic malfunction was ‘totally unexpected’ as her son had been using the vape pen completely regularly beforehand, until it suddenly erupted into flames.
The teenager was left with a gaping hole in his gums, the Dr. Russell confirmed.
Adam’s other surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Skirko told the NY Daily News that the teen’s injuries were the first of the kind he’d ever seen.
‘His injury was fairly extensive where he had lost several teeth. There was not really much tissue along his gum line where the teeth sit either,’ Skirko said.
‘I deal with lots of jaw fractures and have seen lots of really exotic trauma, like grizzly bear attack or riding a motorcycle...I’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff,’ he added. ‘[But] I’ve never seen an e-cigarette explode.’
The surgeons had to sew Adams’ gum line back together, put plates along his jawbone and issue him temporary braces to keep his remaining teeth aligned.
His jaw had to be wired shut for six weeks, limiting him to a diet of liquid and pureed foods.
Though his injuries may have been severe, the occurrence of an e-cigarette exploding is far from uncommon, with a study undertaken by the BMJ reporting that 2,035 e-cig explosions and burn injuries were sustained between 2015 and 2017 nationwide.
A malfunctioning vape also claimed the life of one Texas man in January of this year, when an e-cigarette he was using blew-up in his face and left a ‘penetrating trauma’ – later killing him.
Around 3.6 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes last year, the FDA revealed.
Ironically, Adams’ said he hasn’t smoked a single cigarette or used a vape since.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
