The White House is delaying plans to regulate how electronic cigarettes are packaged, according to a DHHS/FDA press release reported by The Hill.
Proposed rules by the FDA were pending a public comment period that was expected to end August 31. However, according to The Hill, the agency said it was asked to extend that deadline and the comment period will remain open until September 30.
In that time, the public may comment on what issues the proposed warning labels and childproof packaging for e-cigarettes would cover, including what wording should be used and how the requirement for childproof packaging should be articulated.
The FDA said it was drafting the rule to respond to growing public concerns about liquid nicotine poisonings and exposures, as poison control centers reported that calls related to e-cigarettes had nearly doubled in 2014 from the 1,543 exposures reported in 2013, with the majority of cases involving children younger than six, The Hill reports.
The FDA originally proposed regulating e-cigarettes in April 2014.
