--- title: E-Cigarette Companies Sued Over Explosions, Injuries description: E-cigarette owners in multiple states have filed lawsuits alleging the battery-powered devices are prone to exploding and causing injuries. canonical: https://time.com/4393022/exploding-e-cigarette-lawsuit/ author: Lisa Eadicicco article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-05T14:13:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:50:12.269Z article:section: Health og:title: People Are Suing Over Exploding E-Cigarettes og:description: Some have caused serious injuries og:url: https://time.com/4393022/exploding-e-cigarette-lawsuit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf3be2561b15e92b/6987823a428a9e7aa9cc7750/e-cigarette.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: e-cigarette og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Are Suing Over Exploding E-Cigarettes twitter:description: Some have caused serious injuries twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf3be2561b15e92b/6987823a428a9e7aa9cc7750/e-cigarette.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # People Are Suing Over Exploding E-Cigarettes  by [Lisa Eadicicco](https://time.com/author/lisa-eadicicco/)  ## Lisa Eadicicco Jul 5, 2016 2:13 PM UTC  Man demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago in 2014. Man demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago in 2014.Nam Y. Huh—AP  by [Lisa Eadicicco](https://time.com/author/lisa-eadicicco/)  ## Lisa Eadicicco Jul 5, 2016 2:13 PM UTC Electronic cigarettes are seen by some as a safer alternative to traditional forms of smoking, though the jury is [still largely out](http://time.com/3678402/electronic-cigarettes-ecigs-health-science-research/) on their long-term health effects. Now, the so-called “e-cigs” are facing another safety issue, as multiple users have [filed lawsuits](http://www.wsj.com/articles/e-cigarette-users-sue-over-exploding-devices-1467538202?cb=logged0.21703820170771748) alleging their battery-powered devices exploded and, in some cases, caused serious injuries. Dozens of such suits have been filed in New York, Florida, and California, among other states, [_The Wall Street Journal_](http://www.wsj.com/articles/e-cigarette-users-sue-over-exploding-devices-1467538202?cb=logged0.21703820170771748)reports. The _Journal_ features one affected user in particular: Rachel Berven, who says her e-cigarette exploded in February after she had changed the battery, spilling battery acid across her body and causing burns and dental damage. E-cigarette models mentioned in lawsuits include those made by Chinese companies Sigelei, iPV Technology Co., and Kangertech, according to the _Journal._ What happened to Berven is one of several reported injuries related to e-cigarettes in recent years. Doctors had to amputate Vicente Garza’s left index finger and perform surgery on his tongue after an e-cigarette exploded near his face, according to a [_Los Angeles Times_ report](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-e-cigarette-lawsuits-20151119-story.html) from November. Josh Hamilton of Owensboro, Kentucky suffered severe burns on his right thigh after an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket, [CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/health/e-cigarette-explodes-in-mans-pocket/) reported in February. In many cases, these malfunctions can be traced to the lithium ion batteries that power many e-cigarettes. Such batteries have been known to cause similar issues in other electronics. Most [airlines, for instance, have banned hoverboards](http://time.com/4145653/hoverboards-airlines-ban-delta-american-southwest-jetblue/) after several owners reported that their devices caught fire and exploded. Some iPhone owners have reported similar issues after charging their devices with third party chargers not made by Apple. The Food and Drug Administration also recently announced that [it would begin regulating e-cigarettes](http://time.com/4319285/ood-and-drug-administration-e-cigarettes-cigars-regulated/) as tobacco products. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4393022/exploding-e-cigarette-lawsuit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4393022/exploding-e-cigarette-lawsuit/"},"headline":"People Are Suing Over Exploding E-Cigarettes","datePublished":"2016-07-05T14:13:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:50:12.269Z","description":"Some have caused serious injuries","url":"https://time.com/4393022/exploding-e-cigarette-lawsuit/","keywords":["E-Cigarettes","Tech","Batteries"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf3be2561b15e92b/6987823a428a9e7aa9cc7750/e-cigarette.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Eadicicco","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-eadicicco/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf3be2561b15e92b/6987823a428a9e7aa9cc7750/e-cigarette.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"e-cigarette","caption":"Man demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago in 2014.","creditText":"Nam Y. 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