Nicotine poisoning in Nevada is on the rise and almost three-quarters of those incidences involve children. Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray has more.
The state’s poison control hotline has been receiving a spike in calls for accidental nicotine poisoning. Kelli Goatley-Seals is with the Washoe County Health District. She says that between the number of calls doubled in the state between 2013 and 2014.
“In 2014, we saw 44 calls and more than 70 percent of them related to children between the ages of zero to five,” Goatley-Seals says.
With the popularity of e-cigarettes, Goatley-Seals says liquid nicotine containers are more accessible to kids around the home.
“A lot of times they come in colorful bottles and they have sweet and interesting flavors, so it’s really appealing to young children,” Goatley-Seals says.
Nicotine overdose symptoms include nausea, vomiting and trouble breathing. Exposure to toxic levels even has the potential to cause death.