US Man Suffers Third-Degree Thigh Burns After E-Cigarette Explosion

According to reports, the “culprit” was an LGHG2 battery made by South Korea’s LG Chem. Nader was preparing to start his shift at the butcher shop where he worked when the lithium-ion LGHG2 battery in the side pocket of his pants suddenly burst into flames. Nader said, “I’ve never felt pain like this before. I’ve been cut by machines and hit by cars, and none of that hurt this much.” He has now filed a lawsuit against the company.

In addition, his attorney said, “He wasn’t smoking at the time. He was just working when the explosion suddenly happened in his pants. First there was a flash, and then it caught fire.” He added, “These batteries are barely regulated. The Food and Drug Administration is focused mainly on whether products affect young people’s health, but there are no clear rules for the devices or the batteries themselves. Imagine if this had happened at midnight while he was asleep, or in a house full of children—we could have seen an even worse tragedy.”

The diagnosis showed that Nader suffered second- and third-degree burns. Doctors described the burn on his thigh as “the size of a volleyball.”

A study published in 2018 estimated that from 2015 to 2017, more than 2,000 people in the United States were treated in hospitals for e-cigarette explosions. E-cigarettes have also been spreading rapidly among teenagers. A report released last year showed that nearly 40% of high school seniors had used e-cigarettes. Even more concerning is that most of the public does not realize that e-cigarettes can explode.

Burns and lost teeth are considered relatively minor outcomes. Some people have nearly gone blind, and others have even lost their lives. In February this year, a man in Texas died after a vaping device exploded while he was using it, with shrapnel from the blast piercing his carotid artery. About a year earlier, a man in Florida experienced a similar explosion while using a vaping device, and fragments struck his head. Doctors at the University of Washington Medical Center said that growing evidence shows e-cigarettes are a public safety issue and that regulation needs to be strengthened.