Opponents of the electronic cigarette industry are always looking for the next big story that they can spin to fit their anti-vaping agenda. This week, an unfortunate accident involving a toddler in Birmingham has sent ecig critics into another fit of rage. The little girl picked up an ecig cartridge and put it in her mouth, which caused her to start vomiting. While she had no injuries from the incident, this story has sparked another round of criticism for the ecig industry.

According to reports from Good Hope Hospital, the two-year-old found an ecig cartridge and placed it in her mouth. Luckily, her mom noticed right away and intervened, but the child still got sick and starting vomiting. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors watched her closely. After six hours, she was released and seemed to be just fine. Physicians at Good Hope said they were not sure if she actually ingested any of the e-liquid from the cartridge. However, it was definitely a close call that undoubtedly scared the child and her mother.

While no one would ever wish an accident like this on a small innocent child, some of the world’s harshest ecig critics are using this event as another platform to push their anti-vaping agenda. The Centers for Disease Control has already stated that the number of poison control calls related to e-liquids is rising, but it’s also clear that these calls are extremely rare when compared to calls for routine household cleaners. As the ecig industry grows, there will undoubtedly be accidents like this. However, that doesn’t make it right to strike down the whole vaping movement with unfair regulations.

In reality, ecigs help many smokers give up tobacco after years of unsuccessful cessation attempts. But no one seems to talk about those stories in the media. Instead, they want to focus on this story of a single little girl that vomited and use it to spin a case against electronic cigarettes.

While this story is certainly a sad one, it could have been much worse. Physicians at Good Hope Hospital said that just one or two drops of highly concentrated e-liquid could be dangerous for a child. It’s a timely reminder for vapers to keep ecig cartridges and e-liquids out of reach. While accidents do happen, a lot of this drama can be prevented if ecig users just practice some common sense. If you have children or small pets in your home, never leave your ecig gear out where it could be accessed when you aren’t looking.

No one wants to see a small child injured so do your part to prevent these kinds of accidents in your home. If we all work together to practice reasonable precautions, we can eliminate a lot of the arguments that critics use to villainize vaping.