Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced a bill Thursday that would require childproof liquid nicotine bottles.
“There’s enough nicotine in some of these bottles to kill small children, and even if a small amount spilled on a child’s skin it could make them extremely ill,” Nelson said.
{mosads}The Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act, S. 2581, aims to halt the recent surge in liquid-nicotine-related child poisonings.
Nelson said that according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there have been more than 1,500 calls regarding liquid nicotine exposure this year — twice as many as last year.
Democrats have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of regulations on e-cigarette products, such as liquid nicotine.
“We have childproof containers on everything from vitamins to ibuprofen, so it’s just plain common sense that we place childproof mechanisms on highly-toxic and poisonous liquid nicotine,” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said. “Robust FDA regulation of e-cigarettes is absolutely essential to protect our children from these products.”
Lawmakers have also been critical of e-cigarette manufacturers marketing to children with flavors such as Cotton Candy, Fruit Loops and Gummi Bears.
“There is a word for the toxic candy-flavored liquids found in electronic cigarettes: poison,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “Protecting our nation’s children from exposure to poison is basic common sense, especially when it can have dangerous and fatal consequences like liquid nicotine.”