A 57 year old man from Florida is hospitalized after the electronic cigarette he was smoking blew up while it was in his mouth. After he is taken to a hospital in Alabama, doctors find he lost his front teeth, part of his tongue and suffered burn injury. Officials suspect that the e-cigarette’s battery might be the cause of the explosion.

Division Chief Joseph Parker, of the North Bay Fire Department, made an analogy about the incident to the Associated Press, saying, “It was trying to hold a bottle rocket in your mouth when it went off. The battery flew out of the tube and set the closet on fire.”

Apparently, not only did the man suffer physical injury, parts of his home office, where the incident happened, also got burned, including his carpets and some pictures.

While the e-cigarette brand hasn’t been disclosed yet, people who are using the supposedly healthy technology will probably take a good look at theirs and hesitate before using one again. As children we’ve been warned by parents not to put things that run on electricity in our mouths and this seems to reinforce the idea.

While e-cigarette makers claim that even if it didn’t help make you quit smoking, it could make the habit a bit healthier. However, the World Health Organization and the Federal Bureau of Drugs and Alcohol have both made their scepticism of the electronic gadgets known, both in its purported claims and usage safety.

In fact, the FDA took action against five e-cigarette makers in 2010 saying “consumers currently have no way of knowing 1) whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use, or 2) about what types or concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals or what dose of nicotine they are inhaling when they use these products.” They believe these companies are violating proper manufacturing practices in addition to making un-provable health claims.

This is the first reported occasion that an electronic cigarette exploded, though there have been other exploding gadgets that have caused facial burns. Previously, cell phones have been the culprit, but each time the source of the explosion seemed to stem from the batteries.