McCallister Issues E-Cig Caution After Another House Fire

Independent Unionist MLA John McCallister has appealed for extra caution after it has been revealed that electronic cigarettes have been linked to more than 100 fires.

His call comes after it was revealed that a man in Kilkeel was left with burns and a woman suffered smoke inhalation after a house fire involving an e-cigarette on charge.

Mr McCallister said: “Figures show that fire crews have attended dozens of incidents suspected to have been sparked by e-cigarettes or related equipment including chargers in less than three years. Several of these fires took place after users connected the devices to incompatible chargers.

“There have been reports of devices exploding while being powered up, while other cases involves batteries rupturing or overheating. Fires also broke out after e-cigarettes were plugged into computers or DVD players.

“People buy cheap or incompatible chargers for many reasons – often to save a few pounds – but you have to ask whether this is worth risking lives for.”

Referring to proposals underway to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18’s, Mr McCallister said:xa0“The popularity of e-cigarettes has grown rapidly in recent years. While they are likely to be less harmful than tobacco products, e-cigarettes are currently unregulated and, as such, we cannot confidently state that they are safe to use.

“I am not convinced that getting people addicted to something else is a good thing especially when the evidence around them is very questionable.”

Electronic cigarette also known as personal vaporizers or electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) is basically a battery-powered vaporizer which has the sensation of smoking tobacc.. These devices create a mist rather than cigarette smoke. xa0In general a liquid solution is vaporised. The ‘E-liquids’ usually contain a mixture of propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Some others have similar ingredients but do not have a nicotine content.