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Under-6 Nicotine Poisonings Surge 763% With Rise of Flavored Pouches

A Pediatrics study attributes the spike to easy access to high-concentration, flavored pouches lacking child-resistant packaging

Overview

  • U.S. poison centers recorded 134,663 accidental nicotine ingestions among children under age 6 from 2010 through 2023.
  • Pouch exposures tracked since 2020 now far exceed declines in liquid and other nicotine formulations.
  • Nicotine pouches carry a 150% higher risk of serious medical outcomes and are twice as likely to result in hospitalization.
  • Seventy-six percent of cases involved children under 2 and nearly all occurred at home, including two fatal liquid-nicotine ingestions.
  • Experts urge keeping nicotine products locked away, avoiding use in view of children and calling Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 if ingestion is suspected.