If your water pipe, e-cigarette, hookah or smokeless tobacco is defective or causing a health problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to hear from you.

To report problems related to these or any other tobacco products, you can use the agency’s online Safety Reporting Portal (see below).

“There is no known safe tobacco product, but FDA can play a role in helping prevent certain unexpected health consequences,” said Dr. Ii-Lun Chen, of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products.

Consumers are encouraged to report problems such as: cigarettes containing mold or foreign objects; a tobacco product that smells or tastes wrong; mislabeling; fires or burns caused by tobacco products, and unexpected health problems.

These health issues might include accidental exposure of children to tobacco products; unusual reactions in long-time users, or allergic reactions or poisonings.

“FDA wants to prevent certain unexpected health consequences that could occur from defective tobacco products, as well as health or safety problems beyond those typically associated with tobacco product use,” Chen said in an FDA news release.

The portal has instructions and questions that lead consumers through each reporting section. People who can’t submit complaints online can call the Center for Tobacco Products at 1-877-CTP-1373.

More information

Here’s where you can find the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal.

Source: HealthDay