ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, together with the attorneys general of Illinois and Indiana, co-sponsored a letter to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration urging the FDA to require appropriate warning labels on liquid nicotine, nicotine-containing e-liquids and novel tobacco products such as dissolvables, lotions, gels and drinks.

The AGs also urge the FDA adopt or establish standards for child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine and novel tobacco products. The letter was signed by 33 state attorneys general.

“As more and more Americans–especially young people–take up e-cigarettes, it is more important than ever that the FDA ensures our children are protected from the dangers of liquid nicotine,” said Schneiderman. “Child-resistant packaging and health warnings are an essential step to keeping these potentially lethal toxins out of the hands of our children. The FDA must step up and regulate the sale and packaging of these dangerous products before any more kids are harmed.”

Citing the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the AGs said that in 2014, 3,783 exposures to liquid nicotine nationwide were reported to poison control centers, a sharp increase from previous years.

“The unchecked growth of the e-cigarette industry has been accompanied by a correspondingly alarming increase in youth use of e-cigarettes,” the letter said. “This period of unregulated expansion has corresponded with a rapid escalation in accidental poisonings from exposure to liquid nicotine. Given the apparent growing popularity of ‘tank’-style vaping devices, which require periodic refilling with liquid nicotine by the consumer and some of which can generate enough heat to create carcinogenic compounds, public health threats from nicotine exposure will increase in the absence of appropriate FDA regulation.”

The letter continues, “Clearly, FDA action is warranted.”

In January, New York passed legislation requiring that liquid nicotine be sold in child-proof packaging; in July, following an investigation, Schneiderman announced agreements with four e-liquid manufacturers and retailers whose product was being sold in New York in violation of the new legislation.

The letter was signed by attorneys general of the following states, territories and District of Columbia: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington and Wyoming.

Click here to view the letter.