Indoor e-cigarette use can set off smoke detectors: perceptions of an emerging issue

Numerous health organizations and researchers support including e-cigarettes in smokefree legislation due to the potential risks associated with exposing non-users to chemicals in exhaled aerosol and renormalizing smoking. Another potential risk of indoor e-cigarette use is setting off smoke detectors. E-cigarette users exhale an aerosol of particulates and chemicals, which can trigger both ionization and photoelectric-based smoke detectors. National fire surveillance systems collect reports of smoke detector false alarms. However, there is no reportable code for e-cigarettes (personal correspondence, Lawrence McKenna, PhD, U.S. Fire Administration). Therefore, the extent to which e-cigarette use is setting off smoke detectors remains unclear. However, recent media reports suggest this is an emerging issue, as e-cigarette use has been setting off smoke detectors in a variety of environments, including airports, high schools, and university dorms. Additionally, social media posts also describe e-cigarette use triggering smoke alarms. Little is known about public perceptions of e-cigarettes setting off smoke detectors.