Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended that people cease vaping until a lung disease epidemic related to vaping products is better understood and controlled.
As many as 450 vaping-related illnesses have been reported across 33 states, including three deaths in Indiana, Illinois, and Oregon. The death in Oregon has been attributed to a man buying marijuana from a dispensary, according to state officials. The CDC is also investigating a possible fourth death related to vaping.
“We believe a chemical exposure is likely associated with these illnesses, but more investigation is needed,” said Dana Meaney-Delman, who is the head of the CDC’s response to the epidemic. “While this investigation is ongoing people should consider not using e-cigarette products.”
Meaney-Delman said no device, product, or substance has been associated with every case. She also stressed that people should not buy vaping products off the streets and should avoid modifying any devices.
Some public health experts have even gone as far as to prompt CDC to warn consumers to halt vaping completely until the epidemic can be resolved.
CDC has so far verified 215 vaping-related lung disease illnesses and is probing around 235 more cases associated with the outbreak.
A case study which was issued in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday found that 84% of 41 Illinois and Wisconsin victims said they used THC, which is a psychoactive component of marijuana. More than 50% of patients said they also used nicotine.
Many patients experienced a variety of lung disorders and suffered from nausea, vomiting, and breathing problems, according to the report. The report also noted that one-third of the victims were ill enough that they had to be incubated.
