US man loses an eye after e-cigarette ‘explodes in his face’

A Californian man claims he had to have his left eye removed after an e-cigarette exploded in his face last month.

Joseph Cavins, 63, claims he was using the device at home on April 15 and had just placed it down on his desk when it exploded.

Flying debris from the explosion struck Mr Cavins in the face, damaging his orbital and sinus bones and leaving shrapnel embedded in his eyeball.

"I felt like I was hit on the side of the head and everything went south from there," he told local broadcaster ABC 7.

The explosion also reportedly peppered the ceiling with shrapnel and started a fire on Mr Cavins’ computer.

Mr Cavins’ attorney Greg Bentley said his law firm, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley, is currently investigating 60 cases involving e-cigarette batteries exploding and inflicting injuries on their users.

Mr Bentley said battery manufacturers in China are not regulated, resulting in e-cigarettes that are “susceptible to overheating and exploding”.

He believes the battery chargers also lack safety mechanisms to prevent overheating.

“This is becoming all too common, and it's now a national problem," Mr Bentley said.

The lawyer plans to file a lawsuit against parties allegedly involved in the manufacture of the faulty e-cigarette.

Mr Cavins meanwhile is expected to undergo further surgeries in the hopes of repairing some of the muscles in his damaged eye.

E-cigarettes deliver nicotine and other chemicals to the user in vapour form, and are often used as a method to wean smokers off tobacco cigarettes.