A year-old infant died in New York on Tuesday after ingesting a harmful substance often used in electronic cigarettes, the police said.

The Fort Plain, N.Y., child was found unresponsive at his home after the boy accidently ingested liquid nicotine.

According to the police, the boy was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in Little Falls, New York, but the doctors pronounced him dead.

Calling it a “tragic accident”, the police said they are clueless from where the infant got exposed to the harmful substance and if the nicotine was associated with an e-cigarette device.

Health experts say liquid nicotine, which is commonly used in the modern form of cigarettes, can prove fatal for children even if they are exposed to doses as small as a teaspoon.

In a released statement on Friday, the American Association of Poison Control centers, said, “One teaspoon of liquid nicotine could be lethal to a child and smaller amounts can cause severe illness, often requiring trips to the emergency department. Despite the dangers these products pose to children, there are currently no standards set in place that require child-proof packaging.”

Expressing concern over the growing incidents of hospitalizations of children who are exposed to the dangerous substance, Pediatrician Dr. James Saperstone he said, “The number of poisonings has skyrocketed. Depending on what number you using it’s up 150-300 percent.”

The sale of liquid nicotine is legal in New York. The substance is sold as a supplement to e-cigarettes. Experts say the chemical is so harmful that it must be diluted before taken in use. Its concentrated liquid form can be lethal to a child if taken in the smallest quantity.