WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Nicotine pouches are quickly becoming a major cause of nicotine poisoning in young children, according to a new study.
Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio looked at over 134,000 cases of children under 6 who accidentally swallowed nicotine from things like vapes, gum, and lozenges.
'The popularity of these products started in 2019,' study co-author Natalie Rine said. 'There was a large increase in sales between 2019 and 2022. and we started getting calls more frequently.'
'It's a high-concentration nicotine product, and it tastes good,' she continued. 'There's nothing telling the kid, 'this is bad, you should spit it out' . and that's where you get into trouble.'
The researchers found that while most types of nicotine poisonings decreased after 2016, cases involving nicotine pouches rose sharply by over 760 percent between 2020 and 2023.
One reason for this rise may be that nicotine pouches have become more popular, and during the pandemic, children spent more time at home, making it easier to access these products.
The study found that nicotine pouches were more dangerous than other products. They were 1.5 times more likely to cause serious symptoms and twice as likely to lead to hospital admissions.
Symptoms from swallowing nicotine can include nausea and vomiting, but in more severe cases, it can cause high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, seizures, or even trouble breathing.
Notably, out of all the cases between 2010 and 2023, two young children died from nicotine poisoning.
To prevent such incidents, experts advised parents not to use nicotine products around children, keep them out of reach, and make sure other caregivers know this too.
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