Canadian Teen Suffers Second Degree Burns After E-Cigarette Explodes In His Mouth.

#1

A teen in Alberta, Canada suffered second-degree burns and broken teeth after his e-cigarette spontaneously exploded just inches from his mouth while he was using it in his car.

The victim, Ty Greer, 16, was using the device in a car when the e-cigarette exploded.

#2

"It lit my kid's face on fire, busted two teeth out," Perry Greer, Ty's father, told the Canadian Press. "It burned the back of his throat, burned his tongue very badly. If he wasn't wearing glasses, he possibly could have lost his eyes. ... He wanted to die. That is how much pain he was in."

Greer said the family raced Ty to the hospital. He remembers hugging his son as he squirmed in agony waiting for a dose of morphine to kick in.

#3

The defective vape was a Wotofo Phantom, which is produced in China. Online reviews of the product on the marketplace Eciggity were mostly positive with no indication of such defects.

In a statement to Mic by the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association, the industry shot back at the implication that e-cigarettes are dangerous.

"Electronic cigarettes and vapor products are electronic devices and do not combust. They should be thought the same as other rechargeable electrical equipment such as laptops and cell phones, in terms of being battery powered," the statement read. "We cannot speak to user error or on behalf of a manufacturer for their device. If there is truly an issue with a specific device, similar to a laptop or cell phone manufacturer, inquiries should be directed toward the individual company."

#4

Yet Ty Greer is not the first to fall victim to such a disaster. In November, a Colorado Springs man suffered a broken neck when an e-cigarette exploded in his face. And earlier this month, an Orange County, California, teen also suffered burns after an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket .

#5

Ty's brother Zane said the incident has brought him and his brother closer.

"The whole situation has given me a new perspective on how I feel about my brother," said Zane. "I was so close to losing him."

#6

Perry described Ty as a talented hockey player who has never smoked tobacco. He said his son purchased the e-cigarette from a store in north Lethbridge. The owner of the store declined to comment.

"I have talked with the owner of the store," said Perry. "He's very remorseful. He cried the whole time I talked to him."

Ty now faces a series of expensive dental surgeries as he prepares for a long recovery.

#7

In October 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency officially acknowledged the phenomenon, publishing a study investigating the matter.

"Media reports of 25 separate incidents in the U.S. dating from 2009 to the present were found during an internet search," FEMA wrote in the report, which indicated that the explosions were often linked to the device's lithium battery overheating. "The event occurs suddenly and is accompanied by a loud noise, a flash of light, smoke, flames and often vigorous ejection of the battery and other parts."

#8

The manufacturer and its Canadian distributor were not immediately available for comment.

Greer said governments should not allow minors to buy such devices.

"I would like to see these unregulated ones possibly banned," Greer said. "It is horrific to see your kid with his face so burnt."

According to the Non-Smokers Rights Association, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces that have not banned the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. The decision is left to municipalities in Alberta.

Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said the province has formed a working group with the federal government and is looking at regulating e-cigarettes.

Les Hagen of the Edmonton-based charity Action on Smoking and Health said what happened to Ty Greer is another reason why e-cigarettes need to be regulated federally and provincially.

"We absolutely need product standards. For instance, they shouldn't explode in your mouth," Hagen said.

"The other element with this particular incident is this product was sold to a minor, to a 16-year-old. We would like to see a ban on the sale of these products to minors, just like we have with cigarettes."

The Federal Standing Committee on Health last March issued a report that suggests funding independent research into the health effects of electronic cigarettes and the need to regulate them.