The Food and Drug Administration received more than 70 complaints about e-cigarettes between the end of 2006 and November 2013, ranging from respiratory problems to hospitalizations to exploding cigarettes, according to information we acquired through the Freedom of Information Act. The reports are voluntarily submitted by consumers and health care providers, and probably represent only a small fraction of the actual number of complaints consumers have had with the devices.
The reports don't prove that e-cigs caused the problem, and it's unknown if the people who made the complaints were using the devices as directed or had an underlying health problem that contributed to the problem. Still, the reports highlight at least some of the areas of possible concern related to e-cigarettes. Here are the most common complaints in the reports we received.
- 32 respiratory problems, some related to secondhand exposure.
- 12 hospitalizations involving blood-pressure abnormalities, disorientation, pneumonia, seizures, and other health problems, and two reported deaths.
- 10 heart problems, including heart-rhythm abnormalities and congestive heart failure.
- 10 allergic reactions, including some with rashes or related to nicotine toxicity.
- 4 exploding e-cigarettes, three reportedly involving burns.
—Doug Podolsky
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This article also appeared in the April 2014 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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