E-cigarettes as the future against smoking in London
Gabor Kovacs of 'smoke no smoke' puffs on an e-cigarette that his shop sells at Camden in London June 9, 2013. Puffing on slim metal tubes loaded with pale yellow liquid, two London businessmen say they have between their lips a cure for what the U.N. calls "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced". Electronic cigarettes are the future, they argue. Cheaper, cleaner and cooler than smoking, "vaping" - using a vaporiser to inhale nicotine infused with exotic flavours ranging from pina colada to bubblegum - will spell the end of tobacco. Picture taken June 9, 2013. Reuters

Because e-cigarettes are relatively new, the health risks of puffing these battery-operated devices have not yet been clearly established. However, experts warn it could also contain harmful substances such as nicotine, according to Cancer.net.

A 21-year-old Florida man just discovered on Monday discovered one more danger of the alternative to regular cigarettes when the e-cigarette he was using exploded on his face. As a result of the accident, Evan Spahlinger is now in a medically induced coma, reports the New York Daily News.

Ema Richardson, Spahlinger’s sister, recalls she was in bed with her 2-year-old child when she heard the explosion. She found him on the floor, covered with soot from the chest up. His whole face and neck was burned and Spahlinger was not breathing but throwing up a little when his sister found him. He appeared to be gasping for air, she adds.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital but was later airlifted to Miami for further treatment. The daily reports that the explosion could be linked to the e-cigarette’s lithium battery. The damage could go beyond his skin since the explosion caused the mouthpiece to shoot down Spahlinger’s throat which possibly exploded a second time in his lungs, Richardson quotes doctors.

Before he passed out, Spahlinger said “I’m done,” to signify that he finally has decided to quit smoking, says his sister.

He is not the first victim of exploding e-cigarettes. In 2013, a California woman was badly burned. She was awarded in early October almost $2 million. In 2014, the victim was a 65-year-old Brit granny who fought for her life when her oxygen supply blew up with smoking an e-cigarette. It similarly injured a barmaid in an English pub.

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