In 1980, when DC comics created Nick O'Teen, a villain with yellow-stained teeth who pushed smokes to children around schoolyards and had a mortal fear of Superman, around 800,000 kids wrote to the sponsors (the Health Education Council) for info on the evils of smoking. Neither Nick nor the anti-smoking campaigners could have predicted that 30 years later nicotine would reappear as a stylish toxin that could KO even Superman.

A new report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers points to an alarming increase in the number of people needing help because of vaping - that's the verb for using e-cigarettes - and exposure to the liquid nicotine they contain. More than half are kids age 6 or younger!

Nicotine is a neurotransmitter and a neurotoxin in high quantities: A single diluted teaspoonful could kill a small child, and a tablespoon of extra-strength could finish off an adult. Not all vapors produced by e-cigarettes contain nicotine, but it's a popular option. By the way, the superconcentrated formula is available online.

If you smoke tobacco and want to quit, opt out of the vapes and stick with proven ways to get smoke-free:

• One month before you quit, walk an extra 30 minutes daily.
• Enlist a buddy for support, and join an online support group.
• Use a nicotine-patch plan appropriate for your smoking habit, and take anti-craving pills.

Doing all that ups your chances of success to 60 percent; going it alone, it's 2 percent! Want a more detailed plan? Google "Sharecare Get Ready to Quit Smoking." Now let's hope Nick e-vaporates!