Vitamin E acetate found in all lung samples from 29 patients with vaping related lung injuries
Vitamin E acetate was detected in all 29 samples of patients with vaping related lung injuries. 23 of the patients self-reported vaping THC products. Nicotine related metabolites were found in 16 patients. Based on the findings, researchers report a clear association between vitamin E acetate and vaping lung injury, but say it is possible more compounds could also cause lung injury. The CDC recommends people stop using vaping products, specifically those containing THC or purchased on the black market.
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News On Sept. 16, Tulare County in California announced the nation’s seventh death
On Sept. 16, Tulare County in California announced the nation’s seventh death from vaping-related illness. Its advisory warned about “the dangerous effects of using electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes.”
As federal and state health officials struggle to identify what exactly is causing the deadly outbreak, vaping advocates are stepping into the void and crafting an alternative narrative that is being echoed broadly in online communities.
The people getting sick, according to their version of events, all vaped THC — the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — using products bought on an illicit black market. They also contend federal officials have seized on the crisis to crack down on a nicotine vaping culture they don’t appreciate or understand, a culture proponents insist has helped them and millions of others quit smoking.
As of Oct. 1, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified more than 1,000 cases of vaping-related lung illness in 48 states. Eighteen people have died, including two in California. Of the 578 patients who have reported using specific products, most said they had vaped THC, but a significant portion — 17% — said they had used only nicotine.
CDC officials maintain they can’t identify one product or chemical culprit, and while they recently began emphasizing the risks of vaping THC, they continue to warn against any vape use at all.
Meanwhile, cities and states have responded with a divergent mix of warnings and bans. Michigan, New York and Rhode Island have moved to ban most flavored nicotine vaping products. The California Department of Public Health recently warned against all vaping devices, and the governor of Massachusetts issued a four-month ban on all vaping products. (Read more at link)
I live in MA which sucks! Luckily going to NH this weekend anyway and can get some there. If vaping is banned, I will end up back on cigarettes I know it. Nicotine is one of the worst addictions and hardest to quit.
