NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 78
ยป FIRE ANALYSIS + RESEARCH
NFPA RESEARCH REPORTS IN BRIEF
Electronic Cigarette
Explosions and Fires:
The 2015 Experience
BY RICHARD CAMPBELL
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are
battery-operated devices that deliver
nicotine in a vapor form by heating a
solution commonly comprised of propylene glycol, nicotine, and flavoring
ingredients. Since entering the U.S. market in 2007, e-cigarettes have attracted
a growing supply of consumers, with
sales increasing from $20 million in
2008 to approximately $1.5 billion in
2014, according to published reports.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention found that 12.6 percent of
U.S. adults reported trying an e-cigarette
in 2014. E-cigarette sales are projected to
further increase in the years ahead.
Health concerns prompted by this
new product have largely centered on
78
NFPA JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
the potential adverse effects of their
ingredients on users or the prospect
that e-cigarettes will act as a gateway
to conventional cigarettes for previous non-smokers. More recently,
however, an additional set of health
and safety concerns has been raised
by incidents involving e-cigarette fires
and explosions.
In 2014, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) published an alert that
identified 25 separate e-cigarette fires
and explosions dating to 2009 that
were reported in the media. This
report offered the first comprehensive
indication of the physical safety hazards associated with e-cigarette use.
Incidents documented in the report
did not always result in injuries, but
a number of moderate, major, and
severe injuries were identified, as were
fires that spread beyond the e-cigarette
and caused additional damage.
Through a newspaper clipping service, the Fire Analysis and Research
Division of NFPA maintains a database of fires reported in U.S. media
outlets. The incidents in the database
include fires and explosions caused by
e-cigarettes, and these records indicate
that the number of e-cigarette fires
and explosions reported in the media
has increased since publication of the
USFA report, with 15 e-cigarette fires
and explosions recorded in 2015. It
is important to acknowledge that the
incidents identified through media
accounts are unlikely to capture the
complete e-cigarette fire and explosion experience. However, alternative
reporting systems that systematically
capture e-cigarette events do not currently appear to exist.
For the complete NFPA report on
e-cigarettes, visit nfpa.org/research
and click on "fire statistics."
http://www.nfpa.org/research
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2016
Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 3
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 4
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 5
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 6
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 7
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 8
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 9
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 10
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 11
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 12
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 13
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 14
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 15
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 16
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 17
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 18
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 19
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 20
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 21
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 22
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 23
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 24
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 25
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 26
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 27
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 28
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 29
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 30
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 31
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 32
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - I1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - I2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 33
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 34
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 35
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 36
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 37
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 38
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 39
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 42
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 45
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 78
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 80
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover4
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