Continuing coverage: Investigators, experts comment on e-cigarette safety after explosion kills Florida man.

Reuters (5/17, Szekely) reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has “taken an interest in the case” of Tallmadge D’Elia, a Florida man who died on May 5 when his vape mod exploded, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman Lieutenant Steve Lawrence. He said by telephone on Thursday that the device’s battery was the most likely cause of the fire. He added, “We feel that the battery had the potential energy to basically turn the vape mod into a missile, and it penetrated the victim’s cranial cavity.”

        The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (5/17, Spata, 790K) reports Michael Felberbaum, a spokesman for the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products “said it had identified 274 incidents of e-cigarettes overheating, causing fires or exploding between 2009 and 2017,” but these incidents are “under-reported, and they’re currently soliciting such reports at www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov.” Larry McKenna, a fire protection engineer for the U.S. Fire Administration, was paraphrased as saying this month’s death is “a rarity.” He said that when a lithium ion battery in an e-cigarette ignites, it is forced out like “a bullet, or ‘flaming rocket.’” Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, said, “It’s very safe overall when you consider that millions of people use these devices. The few issues you see are when people use mech mods, unregulated devices that don’t have safety features. And in this tragic case, it appears that’s the type of device that was being used.”