A recent study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that more and more children are accidentally ingesting nicotine pouches, posing a major risk to their health.
The research found that there was a 763% increase in nicotine pouch ingestions among children under six years old from 2020 to 2023. The Interim Health Officer at the Fresno County Health Department, Dr. Rais Vohra, said that what the study shows is that children are finding these pouches by themselves.
Increase in Children's Ingestion of Nicotine Pouches
Vohra added that there are hundreds of millions of nicotine pouches that are being sold every year, noting that kids are accidentally ingesting them. He said that while these situations are relatively rare, it is still very concerning.
The medical professional also explained that when children are exposed to nicotine at such a young age, it can significantly impact their brain development. It can also lead to increased anxiety and addiction, according to ABC30.
The researchers who were part of the study looked at nearly 135,000 cases of nicotine ingestions by children from 2010 to 2023. It was found that the overall rate of cases increased by 59% from 2010 to 2015 but decreased by 34% from 2015 to 2023.
But when it came to liquid ingestions, the researchers found that incidents increased in rate by 450% from 2010 to 2015 before dropping by 45% from 2015 to 2023. Vohra said that many people do not realize that concentrated nicotine is "very poisonous" and can force children to be brought to the emergency department or the ICU.
The director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Dr. Natalie Rine, said that nicotine pouches are a high-concentration nicotine product that are said to be delicious, CNN reported.
The Dangers of the Findings
Nicotine pouches originally arrived on U.S. shelves in 2014 and do not contain tobacco, but are filled with nicotine, either synthetically or naturally derived. Public health advocates have long raised concerns about the products' discreet, sweet, and smokeless nature.
There is a similar dilemma outside of the United States, where extra-strong nicotine products are being designed to appeal to children. Some of these mimic the name and branding of the well-known "Millions" sweets in a shop found in the East End of Glasgow.
A shop worker at the store said that the pouches contained 100 mg of nicotine, which makes them roughly the same strength as a cigarette. Later, tests showed that they actually had a lower level of 17 mg, which is still described as extra strong by most legitimate manufacturers, as per BBC.
