Keeping e-liquid away from children and pets

E-liquid looks and smells like something you could drink: bright bottles, fruity and sweet flavours. For a toddler or a curious dog, that is an invitation. Nicotine is toxic if swallowed, and a small child or pet needs far less to be harmed than an adult does.

UK rules help. Nicotine e-liquid is sold in refill bottles of no more than 10ml, at no more than 20mg/ml, with child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging. Those rules reduce the risk, but they do not remove it, especially once a bottle has been opened and left on a table.

Nicotine is also addictive, which is why vaping products are strictly for adults. Treat every bottle like you would bleach or medicine.

Most nicotine bottles have a push-and-turn cap. It is designed to slow a small child down, not to stop a determined one, and it only works if it is pushed down and turned fully closed. A cap balanced on top of an open bottle is no protection at all.

Keep bottles, pods and devices together in one place, up high and out of sight, ideally in a cupboard that closes. Refill when children are not watching, so filling a pod does not become something they want to copy. And clear away empties, since a near-empty bottle still has liquid in it.

The same goes for your device: a filled pod kit left on the sofa is a small bottle of e-liquid with a mouthpiece.

Act quickly, even if they seem fine. Symptoms can take a little while to appear, and it is far better to get advice early.

Do not try to make them sick. Keep the bottle or pod, because the people helping will want to know the nicotine strength and roughly how much might be missing. If liquid has got on their skin, wash it off with soap and water, since nicotine can also be absorbed through skin.

Call 999 straight away if they are unconscious, having a fit, struggling to breathe or seriously unwell. Otherwise, call NHS 111 straight away for advice, even if they seem well. The steps below are the order to follow.

Dogs chew things that smell interesting, and a sweet e-liquid bottle or a discarded pod smells very interesting. Cats are less likely to chew, but can lick spills or groom liquid off their fur. Nicotine is toxic to pets too.

If a pet has chewed a bottle, pod or device, or licked up liquid, call your vet straight away, even before any symptoms show, and tell them the nicotine strength. Do not try to make your pet sick unless the vet tells you to.

Spills on your own skin are less dramatic: wash with soap and water and wipe the surface. Tap what happened for the right next step.

A shortfill arrives with no nicotine, but it stops being nicotine-free the moment you add a nic shot. Treat the mixed bottle exactly like any other nicotine liquid: cap closed, stored high, out of sight.

Nicotine shots, like those from Top Shot, are concentrated by design and are not for vaping on their own. Mix at a table out of reach, put the shot and the bottle away as soon as you are done, and do not leave half-used shots lying around.

If you decant into smaller bottles, use proper e-liquid bottles with secure caps and label them, never old drinks bottles or anything that looks like food.