A legislation in the Ohio senate proposed by senator Shannon Jones calls on making childproof packaging necessary for containers of liquid nicotine used to refill electronic cigarettes.
The goal of the law is to ensure that children do not swallow the toxic liquid accidentally as the bottles are usually sold in colourful packaging.
The step comes in the wake of an incident when a one-year-old child in New York died in December after consuming the liquid.
According to Dayton Daily News, Jones said that in 2014, poison control centres across the nation received close to 4,000 calls related to children poisoning due to liquid nicotine. This was double the number of 2013, and the numbers continue to rise.
The new bill will ban the sale of liquid nicotine without child-resistant packaging and offenders will be fined up to $1,000 for each violation.
The bill is being backed by the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Speaking about the issue, Jones said: "We think this is a common sense approach to a rapidly growing problem in the state, and we look forward to the debate before us. We're not making a statement about whether or not this is a good product or a bad product. That's for another debate, another day."
According to the proposal, the packaging would need to be 'designed or constructed to be significantly difficult, within a reasonable time, for a child under five to open or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the liquid" but "not difficult for a normal adult to open or properly use.'
The bill will not be applicable for sealed, pre-filled or disposable replacement cartridges.
