Young kids, babies are getting into nicotine pouches. What parents should know.
Poison control centers are sounding the alarm on nicotine pouches as cases of young children accidentally ingesting them surge around the country.
The warning comes amid new research showing calls that involved children under 6 increased by 763% from 2020 to 2023, according to the study published July 14 in the journal Pediatrics.
The steep increase in calls to poison control centers is partly due to the rising popularity of nicotine pouches, said Natalie Rine, study co-author and director of the Central Ohio Poison Center. Children were also home more during this period as the pandemic prompted stay-at-home orders, which gave them more access to nicotine products stored in the house.
“The popularity of these products started in 2019,” she said. “There was a large increase in sales between 2019 and 2022… and we started getting calls more frequently.”
Nicotine pouches, sometimes referred to as "lip pillow" or "upper decker," are small microfiber pouches containing nicotine powder. Here’s what parents should know about keeping their kids safe from nicotine pouches.
How is nicotine dangerous to kids?
Nicotine pouches were 1.5 times more likely to be associated with a serious medical outcome and twice as likely to be associated with a medical admission compared to any other nicotine product included in the study, such as cigarettes or liquid nicotine.
Nicotine is a highly toxic substance to young children, especially in a concentrated form like a nicotine pouch, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
After ingestion, some minor symptoms can include nausea and vomiting, Rine said. But as the dose increases, children can experience high blood pressure and a fast heart rate, which can escalate to seizures and respiratory failure.
Among the 135,000 calls made to poison control centers between 2010 and 2023, study authors found that nicotine was linked to two deaths in children under 6.
How to prevent an emergency
The best way to prevent a child from ingesting a nicotine pouch is to keep products out of the house, Rine said.
If parents or guardians choose to keep nicotine products at home, she recommends they take the following precautions:
- Choose products with child-resistant packaging.
- Store them in high, out-of-sight places with a lock.
- Don’t use nicotine products in front of children: “Children like to mimic behavior,” Rine said, and are more likely to put nicotine pouches in their mouth if they see their parents doing it.
- If you keep nicotine pouches in bags or purses, make sure they’re not lying around the house: “Kids like to explore in there,” Rine said.
- Save the national Poison Help Line number (1-800-222-1222) in your phone and post it somewhere visible in the home.
What to do if your kid swallows a nicotine pouch
If a child is experiencing a medical emergency, Rine urges parents to call 911.
If they’re showing mild symptoms, she recommends calling the national Poison Help Line to access free, confidential expert advice from specially trained nurses and pharmacists.
“We’re always there to help talk you through what symptoms you’re seeing with the child, based on the history that’s given,” Rine said.
She warns against trying to induce vomiting, as that can lead to a secondary problem if fluid enters the lungs.
“Inducing vomiting is one of the bigger misconceptions that’s out there,” Rine said. “More often than not, you have the potential to cause more of a problem than what you’re already dealing with.”
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.