Too Many Young Kids Still Exposed to Dangerous Liquid Nicotine

New research reveals that following an enormous jump in children’s exposure to dangerous liquid nicotine from electronic cigarettes, the rate dropped in just one year, HealthDay reports.

The annual rate of exposures skyrocketed by nearly 1,400 percent from 2012 to 2015, then fell by 20 percent from 2015 to 2016, the researchers said. But according to experts, too many young kids are still being exposed to the toxic liquid nicotine. Among cases that ended up in hospital emergency rooms, 93 percent had swallowed the substance.

“It’s a step in the right direction and something we should be happy about, but these numbers are still too high,” said study author Dr. Gary Smith, who also serves as Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, because these exposures are still occurring, and we know there are other things we can and should do to reduce exposures in young kids.”