FDA to probe e-cigarette explosions

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WPVI) -- The Food and Drug Administration is taking more action on electronic cigarettes - but not over what users inhale.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is launching an investigation on the dangers of exploding batteries in e-cigarettes, following dozens of reports of devices that caught fire, overheated or caught fire and sometimes injured users.

The agency announced a two-day public meeting for April, to hear from companies that make e-cigarettes...and also from people who say they were injured by them.

It has been receiving complaints of batteries overheating or exploding for years, but as more people use the devices, there have been more complaints.

The Associated Press reported last month that 66 explosions were identified by the FDA in 2015 and early 2016.

E-cigarettes are hand-held devices that vaporize liquid nicotine. Their safety has not been extensively studied and there's no scientific consensus on whether they help reduce rates of cigarette smoking.

Last year the FDA announced it would begin to regulate the fast-growing industry, requiring makers of e-cigarettes to submit their devices and ingredients for review for the first time.