[Caution] Steam Vape explodes → Fragments penetrate the mouth and reach the brain and die

According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, a 24-year-old man in Fort Worth, Texas, died after suffering serious injuries from his femoral artery to his brain in a vapor vape explosion. Similar accidents seem to be on the rise.

According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the deceased was William Brown, 24, who bought a vape from a local vape store and tried it in his car in a parking lot. Just then, there was an explosion. William's grandmother, Alice Brown, said he had asthma and never smoked. According to reports, this was the first time he used a vape.

"The vape exploded when I put it in my mouth. The pieces went right through my mouth." Alice told American TV station WFAA.

William was found collapsed outside his car and died in hospital two days later.

Gizmodo has emailed the Tarrant County Medical Examiner to confirm the brand of vape that killed Mr. Brown, but has yet to hear back. We will update the article as soon as we know more.

This is not the first fatal accident caused by a vape explosion. Last May, a man in St. Petersburg, Fla., died after a vape explosion left his brain damaged by shards of metal. Police say a "modified" vape was used in the crash. "Modification" refers to removing the circuit board, which is a circuit board, to adjust the current from the battery.

We don't have long-term tracking, so we don't know for sure how often similar accidents happen. However, the U.S. Fire Department announced in 2017 that there were at least 195 accidents caused by vape explosions between 2009 and 2016. Most of them caught fire, and 133 cases resulted in injuries.

Last year, Dennis Thombs, dean of public health at the UNT Center for Health Sciences, concluded that the number of vape explosion incidents in the United States may be underreported. published a study. An estimated 2,035 e-cigarette explosion-related burns occurred in the United States between 2015 and 2017. "There is an urgent need for improved regulation of e-cigarette devices and surveillance of e-cigarette injuries," Thombs wrote.

Because of the high volatility of the lithium-ion batteries contained in vapes, caution should be exercised when purchasing powerful devices, especially those that have been modified.

Source: Star-Telegram