A new kind of poison is sickening children at an increased rate.
And now state lawmakers are on a fast track to do something about it.
A small amount of liquid from electronic cigarettes can make a child incredibly sick. Doctors at Tampa's poison control center say they have been receiving calls about a number of episodes with e-cigarette liquids.
A bill requiring manufacturers to put child-proof caps on bottles of liquid nicotine has been introduced by Sen. Bill Nelson.
According to Dr. Alfred Aleguas, the Director of the Florida Poison Center of Tampa, the liquid, or e-juice as it is known, is three times more than the most concentrated nicotine in a regular cigarette.
The results can be scary, he said.
"Some nausea and vomiting," Aleguas said. "They get pale, sweaty, shaky. Any taste of the liquids can send them to the emergency rooms."
Right now, manufacturers are not required to put child-proof caps on liquid nicotine.
Dr. Aleguas said while some of the e-juice bottles require pushing down on the lid to open, many of the bulk refill cartridges have tops without any safety measures.
"It would definitely slow them down," Aleguas said. "And would stop the minute they have to access it."
Doctors with poison control say children don't even have to ingest the liquid nicotine to be poisoned. Some of the highly concentrated versions can be absorbed through skin and make kids sick.
There's identical legislation filed in the house and a Senate committee just unanimously approved Nelson's bill. It will now go to the full Senate.