Todd Spangler

Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell on Thursday lauded a decision by the Food and Drug Administration to extend regulatory authority to all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes.

E-cigarette explodes; Dingell calls for action by FDA

Last August, Dingell, D-Dearborn, wrote the FDA administrator urging such a decision, noting that a constituent of hers, Sgt. Jason Diekman of Wyandotte, had been injured by an e-cigarette that exploded, burning his arms and abdomen.

“Consumers deserve peace of mind in knowing the products they buy at the store are safe for use,” Dingell said at the time. “Such assurances currently do not exist for electronic cigarettes due to the absence of federal regulation of these products.”

The FDA’s decision, announced Thursday, means the agency will have to approve any tobacco products not currently regulated that began being sold after February 2007 -- including most, if not all, e-cigarettes. It will also ban the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.

“With e-cigarette use among high school students skyrocketing from 1.5% in 2011 to 16% in 2015, we can all agree that banning the sale of tobacco products to kids and teenagers under 18 years old is a positive step in protecting future generations from the risk of tobacco use,” Dingell said, adding that it also is “welcome news that all parts of the e-cigarette, including the battery, will be regulated for safety.”

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.