E-cigarette explodes in teen's mouth shattering his jaw

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A 17-year-old boy was left with a bloody mouth, broken teeth and a shattered jaw after a vape pen exploded in his mouth. The boy allegedly travelled more than 400km with the injury from a small town in Nevada to a pediatric hospital in Utah with his mother after the incident. The doctors discovered he had punctured his chin, and his mouth was covered in cuts so they had to remove some of his teeth and damaged tissues.

According to India Times, Dr. Micah G. Katz and Dr. Katie W. Russell who treated the patient stated, "The increasing prevalence of vaping among adolescents is a public health concern. People need to know before they buy these devices that there's a possibility they're going to blow up in your pocket, in your face."

Also Read: E-cigarettes as harmful for your gum as smoking: Study

In another incident, a 38-year-old man in Florida was killed when his vape pen exploded, sending projectiles into his head and causing a small fire in his house, in what is believed to be one of the first deaths from an e-cigarette explosion. Tallmadge D'Elia was found in the burning bedroom of his family's home in St. Petersburg, according to the Tampa Bay Times. An autopsy report released his week blamed a vape pen explosion for his death, according to local news media outlets. The cause of death was listed as "projectile wound of head" - the pen exploded into pieces, at least two of which were sent into his head, the report said - and he suffered burns on about 80 per cent of his body.

Also Read: E-cigarettes 'expose people to more than harmless vapor'

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