Indiana health officials confirmed a patient died from a severe lung injury; Minnesota health officials linked a death in August to electronic cigarettes and Los Angeles health officials recorded the state’s first vaping-related death.
Nationwide, U.S. health officials said Friday that they’re now investigating more than 450 cases of possible vaping-related illnesses in 33 states.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said some type of chemical exposure is likely associated with the illnesses, but more information is needed to determine the exact cause. Many of those hospitalized reported recently vaping a THC product with chemicals from marijuana, while a smaller group reported using regular e-cigarettes.
The CDC did not identify any particular brand of e-cigarette, but expressed concern about any product sold on the street or tampered with by users.
“They’re really concerned about unknown substances people are buying on the street,” LaPook said. “They think it’s not an infection, it’s a probably some chemical irritation. When you think about it, these e-cigarette devices are really like chemistry sets. You put in this liquid, you lick it, you heat it up – there’s some kind of chemical reaction. You’re creating all these different chemicals. You’re not entirely sure what these chemicals are, but we are sure of one thing: You are sucking a lot of them.” REA MORES…