King Sardea lost his ability to speak in a devastating accident. The Filipino student was smoking a vaping device when it exploded in his face. The e-cigarette had a defective battery which caused catastrophic burns to the lower half of his face. His mother, Grace Sardea said his 17-year-old son will undergo speech therapy following the incident.

Vaping Is Growing In Popularity Across the World

According to the Center on Addiction, vaping is the act of inhaling a fine-particle mist called vapor. The small, sleek devices resemble USB flash drives. Vapers have a mouthpiece, battery, and cartridge containing e-juice. The liquid substance is made from propylene glycol (or vegetable glycerin). Manufacturers spike the juice with flavored nicotine. Scientists have linked the toxic chemicals to heart disease, cancer, and respiratory ailments. A heating component cooks the liquid until it becomes aerosolized.

Vaping devices include e-cigarettes, vape pens, and personal vaporizers (called 'MODS'). They have grown in popularity across the world. Middle and high school students like them because they're easy to hide. The U.S. accounts for 72 percent of the vaping market share. Its popularity has grown in countries like the Philippines, where Sardea lives.

New Regulations for E-Cigarettes in the Philippines

Sardea underwent surgery after his vaping accident. Doctors removed fragments of the battery and bone shards from his gums. Today, he communicates with other people using hand signals and text messages.

Journalists asked the teenager if he'd continue using vapes. The teen said, "No."

The country's Undersecretary for the Department of Health, Rolando Enrique Domingo called for regulating all nicotine-containing devices. "We want to regulate not only the content, the delivery system, but also the things that they use, the ones that could possibly explode," he said.

The official said vaping devices should be registered and checked for safety. The agency wants to ban e-cigarettes for minors. The World Health Organization supports regulating the devices. The group says the product has a damaging effect on health. Singapore and Finland have banned vaping. The UK and Canada are monitoring the activity for those who want to quit smoking. Philippine's E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA) supports fair regulations on e-cigarettes based on impartial scientific evidence, research, and findings.

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