Nicotine products are becoming more and more popular in the U.S., but they are also causing harm to young children, according to a new study.
The amount of kids who have gotten ill after ingesting nicotine pouches increased from 2010 to 2023, the study shows. The National Poison Data System reported 134,663 cases of nicotine poisonings among children younger than age 6 during those years.
The new study was published Monday in Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
More than 76% of the cases were among children younger than age 2 years, the study said, with 55% involving boys.
At least 98% of the cases occurred at the child’s home, the study found.
While most of the cases did not require medical attention, serious effects were seen in 1.2% of the ingestions, as well as two deaths.
The cases included exposures to nicotine pouches, liquid nicotine or vapes and nicotine tablets. Nicotine pouches were responsible for a majority of the cases, according to the study.
The rate of nicotine pouch ingestions increased by 763.1% from 2020 to 2023. Nicotine pouches were more likely to be associated with a serious medical outcome, the study noted.
“Nicotine pouches are a serious and growing toxic ingestion hazard among young children,” Dr. Hannah Hays, co-author of the study and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, said in a news release. “The rapid increase in the number and comparative severity of nicotine pouch ingestions is a reminder of the public health challenges of the changing nicotine product market.”
Study findings, including the emergence and comparative severity of nicotine pouch ingestions, “support the need for ongoing surveillance and increased efforts to prevent nicotine ingestions among young children.”
The Centers for Disease and Control said nicotine pouches, like those of popular brands Zyn and Velo, entered the U.S. market in 2016. The pouches, which can be placed between a users lip and gum and then discarded, contain a powder made of nicotine, flavorings and other ingredients.
The powder dissolves in the mouth, and nicotine is absorbed through the gums and lining of the mouth. Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical that is especially dangerous for youth, young adults and pregnant women, according to the CDC.
The CDC said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved nicotine pouches as a smoking cessation aid.
Have a news tip? Contact Jessica Botelho at jabotelho@sbgtv.com or at x.com/J_Botelho_TND. Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.