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James Lauria, 23, stepped away from his work to smoke his device when at work, FoxNews5 reported.

He said: "The next thing I know, it exploded and I was on my way to a hospital in an ambulance – and that is the last thing I remember."

His dad Ed said his son suffered first degree burns to his face and chest.

The explosion forced a tooth to go up into his gum – and "out of sight".

(Image: FOXNEWS5)

Mr Lauria, from Cobb County from Georgia, US, is now on a liquid diet and now speaks with a lisp.

He was keen to talk about the incident on July 29 in a bid to warn others about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

Health bosses in this country backed e-cigs in August after an independent review was conducted into their safety.

The review stated e-cigs were 95% were less harmful than smoking.