Man left with a hole in the roof of his mouth after e-cigarette explodes in his face

NewsHub ^ | 9-19-2015 | AFP

[Citizen Zed]

GEORGIA, A 23-year-old man was left with first-degree burns and a hole in the roof of his mouth when an e-cigarette he was smoking blew up in his face.

James Lauria also suffered burns to his hand and cornea, a fractured neck and finger and had his front tooth forced up into his gum.

Six weeks after the accident, James still cannot eat solid foods and now speaks with a lisp.

“He had burns to his hand and a fractured neck and finger, and burns to his cornea,” Ed Lauria, James’ father said during an interview with Fox 5 News.

“It blew a hole through his pallet and at the same time, flames went down and he got first-degree burns on his chest and up on his face. It forced his front tooth up into his gum— out of sight -and chipped the other one and damaged a few other lower teeth.”

The exploded device is currently being investigated by the South Walton Fire and Rescue Department.

[Citizen Zed]

Ouch!

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I HATE it when that happens!

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Are lithium batteries in these things?

[Irenic]

I wish they would name the brand and battery.

[Larry Lucido]

[Mears]

His father said he had a fractured neck.

I kind of doubt that.

.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Sounds like he sucked a lot of unburned vapor into his mouth and then it detonated.

[Viking2002]

That's what happens when you buy those cheap e-hookahs from the damned Indians running the convenience stores around here. They put them in a case right next to the incense and the table of $20 work boots.

[DBrow]

What did he put in the thing? An ether extract of cannabis?

[ConservativeStatement]

Whole-y smoke.

[Irenic]

Yes.

[T-Bone Texan]

Most likely an 18650 battery.

[uglybiker]

There’s nothing in the vapor that’s flammable. And other than the battery, there’s nothing in an e-cig that could explode.

[JJ_Folderol]

OK... so no more vaping nitromethane or hydrazine.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Vaporized nicotine is an organic vapor.

I guarantee you it will burn.

[TexasGator]

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/04/e-cigarettes-explode-fda-timeline

[Carthego delenda est]

It was one of those thermobaric e-cigs.

[The Iceman Cometh]

Wait, this can't be right. Southerners only have one front tooth, not two.

I couldn't resist...sorry.

[jjsheridan5]

Most likely an 18650 battery.

Why an 18650? Aren't they one of the safest (assuming that it wasn't a knockoff)? My guess would be one of those "hybrid" mods, where the atomizer directly contacts the battery. I am interested in your answer, because I am waiting on a nemesis that I plan on using the 18650s in.

[The_Reader_David]

The hole in the roof of the mouth is serious, but first degree burns?? As in equivalent to superficial sunburn without blisters?

I presume this is actually another instance of the level of literacy in technical subjects (in this case medicine) prevalent among journalism school graduates and the author meant third degree burns.