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Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control showed a larger number of young people coming down with COVID-19 than first expected, with patients under the age of 45 comprising more than a third of all cases, and one in five of those patients requiring hospitalization. That also tends to be the group most likely to use e-cigarettes.
<p>While there is not yet a clear answer as to why so many young people are experiencing severe symptoms, some experts say vaping could be making things worse, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/vaping-cigarettes-adding-fuel-coronavirus-fire/story?id=69782735" target="_blank">ABC News</a>.</p><p>If you vape, "you're going to make lungs more vulnerable to severe infection," said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, an American Lung Association spokesman who is also director of the tobacco treatment clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, to <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200325/covid-19-likely-worse-for-vapers-smokers#1" target="_blank">WebMD</a>.</p>
<p>According to information released by <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/children/vaping/smoking-vaping-and-covid-19" target="_blank">MassGeneral</a> in Boston, smoking and vaping weaken the body's immune system by damaging parts of the immune system that keep illnesses at bay and by strengthening an enzyme that allows viruses to attach and replicate in the immune system.</p><p>"If a person who smokes catches COVID-19, they are more than twice as likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19 than those with no smoking history," according to <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/children/vaping/smoking-vaping-and-covid-19" target="_blank">MassGeneral</a>. "This means if a person smokes and catches COVID-19, they are more likely to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, placed on a ventilator or die from the illness. Menthol and other flavorings in tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) can also make lung infections, such as COVID-19, worse."</p>
<p>Dr. David Beuther, chief medical information officer at National Jewish Health in Denver, echoed that sentiment to <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/coronavirus/vaping-smoking-might-increase-risks-from-covid-19" target="_blank">Scripps International</a>.</p><p>"I'd be more worried about you more than normal, but I think anybody that vapes, that inhales anything toxic into their lungs, is putting their lungs at risk, because it probably alters the immune system," said Dr. Beuther. "It probably causes some irritation. It probably reduces your own lung's ability to defend itself against this virus."</p><p>While we are advised to stay six feet away from each other, Beuther said somebody vaping may blow a cloud beyond the recommended distance and possibly spread the virus, as <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/coronavirus/vaping-smoking-might-increase-risks-from-covid-19" target="_blank">Scripps</a> reported.</p>
<p>Doctor J. Taylor Hays, an internist with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, told a Wisconsin-based <a href="https://wqow.com/2020/03/31/smoking-and-vaping-leads-to-increase-of-getting-sharing-covid-19/" target="_blank">ABC News affiliate</a> that coronavirus particles get stuck in the mucus in bronchial tubes, which can trap the virus. Then virus particles are exhaled in a puff of smoke that can infect others nearby.</p><p>However, Dr. Hays said that quitting smoking and vaping can have an immediate impact in reducing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.</p><p>"There is an immediate benefit in stopping smoking. It's not something that you won't notice for the next few weeks. It will happen right away. Less coughing, less shortness of breath, less mucus production. And probably those all mean lower risk of complications of a viral infection like COVID," Hays said, as <a href="https://wqow.com/2020/03/31/smoking-and-vaping-leads-to-increase-of-getting-sharing-covid-19/" target="_blank">WQOW</a> in Eau Claire reported.</p>
<p>While there is not a long enough history of vaping and COVID-19 exposure to say for sure if it increases susceptibility to the virus, medical professionals know that vaping can lead to serious lung and respiratory problems so it is logical that the habit could exacerbate symptoms, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/vaping-cigarettes-adding-fuel-coronavirus-fire/story?id=69782735" target="_blank">ABC News</a>.</p><p>"We know that e-cigarettes include chemicals such as propylene glycol, glycerol, and flavorings, and that these chemicals have the ability to go deep into your lungs and cause damage," said Dr. Alok Patel, a Columbia University pediatrician, to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/vaping-cigarettes-adding-fuel-coronavirus-fire/story?id=69782735" target="_blank">ABC News</a>. "When people become critically ill from COVID-19, this also involves the deep pockets of their lungs. It's really scary to think about what could be happening in those that have both of these going on together."</p>
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School students and activists gather at Fridays for Future school climate strike on Jan. 17, 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dominika Zarzycka / NurPhoto via Getty Images
No country on Earth is doing what is necessary to protect the health and future of the world's children, a major new report has found.
<p>The report, published in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32540-1/fulltext" target="_blank">The Lancet Tuesday</a>, is the work of a more than 40-expert commission convened by The Lancet, the <a href="https://www.who.int/" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) and the <a href="https://www.unicef.org/" target="_blank">United Nations Children's Fund</a> (UNICEF). It found that children around the world were at risk from the ecological and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crises</a>, as well as from advertising that markets unhealthy items like processed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/food/" target="_self">foods</a>, alcohol and tobacco products directly to children.</p><p>"[E]very child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures," former New Zealand Prime Minister and commission co-chair Helen Clark said in a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/19-02-2020-world-failing-to-provide-children-with-a-healthy-life-and-a-climate-fit-for-their-future-who-unicef-lancet" target="_blank">WHO press release</a>.</p>
<div id="6f5fd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="E48AC51582124395"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1230052726316421125" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">No country is adequately protecting children’s
•health
•their environment, and
•their futures
We must build a f… https://t.co/3ZHNbVRyic</div> — World Health Organization (WHO) (@World Health Organization (WHO))<a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/statuses/1230052726316421125">1582102397.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The report ranked 180 countries based both on "child flourishing" — how well they could feed, care for and educate children now— and "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability" target="_self">sustainability</a>" — assessed based on greenhouse gas emissions and economic equality. It found that, while less developed countries had a hard time providing healthy lives for their children currently, developed countries threatened the future of all children with their higher greenhouse gas emissions.</p><p>For example, when it came to child flourishing, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands performed the best, while the Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali fared the worst. However, when per capita carbon dioxide emissions were taken into consideration, Norway fell to number 156, the Republic of Korea to 166 and the Netherlands to 160. The U.S. ranked with Australia and Saudi Arabia as one of the 10 worst emitters. It was number 173 in terms of sustainability and number 39 in terms of child flourishing.</p><p>Only Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Viet Nam were both on track to meet 2030 per capita carbon dioxide targets and ranked in the top 70 for child flourishing.</p>
<p>"Climate change threatens our children's future so we must stop carbon emissions as soon as possible," University College London professor of global health and sustainable development Anthony Costello told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/feb/19/the-world-is-failing-to-ensure-children-have-a-liveable-planet-report-finds" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. "Our new index shows that not a single country performed well on both child development and emissions indicators."</p><p>The report's authors warned that if emissions rise past four degrees Celsius by 2100, which they are currently on track to do, this would have serious consequences for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/childrens-health" target="_self">children's health</a> because of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-wave" target="_self">heat waves</a>, the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue and malnutrition.</p>
<div id="fad35" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="E0XA2I1582124395"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1230067702141771782" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@UNICEF @TheLancet @WHOSEARO @WHOEMRO @WHO_Europe @pahowho @WHOAFRO @WHOWPRO Children are among the most vulnerable… https://t.co/0dYl2dUT0a</div> — World Health Organization (WHO) (@World Health Organization (WHO))<a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/statuses/1230067702141771782">1582105968.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The report also warned about the consequences of advertising. Currently, children in some countries see as many as 30,000 television commercials every year, including ads for alcohol, junk food and sugary drinks, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51547441?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>.</p><p>One new threat in this department is <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vaping" target="_self">vaping</a>. The number of children in the U.S. exposed to e-cigarette commercials rose more than 250 percent over a two-year period, WHO said.</p><p>Another emerging problem is the spread of advertising on social media, Costello told BBC News, though it is still insufficiently understood.</p><p>"We have few facts and figures about the huge expansion of social-media advertising and algorithms aimed at our children," he told BBC News.</p><p>In response to their findings, the commission called for "the birth of a new era for child and adolescent health," Lancet editor-in-chief Dr. Richard Horton told WHO. According to WHO, the commission recommended five specific actions:</p><blockquote>1. Stop CO2 emissions with the utmost urgency, to ensure children have a future on this planet;<br>2. Place children and adolescents at the centre of our efforts to achieve sustainable development;<br>3. New policies and investment in all sectors to work towards child health and rights;<br>4. Incorporate children's voices into policy decisions;<br>5. Tighten national regulation of harmful commercial marketing, supported by a new Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.</blockquote><p>"It will take courage and commitment to deliver," Horton said. "It is the supreme test of our generation."</p>
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Congress has taken action to put a stop to the soaring popularity of vaping amongst teenagers. Tucked into a spending bill that passed the House and the Senate on Tuesday is a provision that raises the legal age to buy e-cigarette products and tobacco products from 18 to 21, as the New York Times reported.
<p>President Donald Trump, who had said he would ban flavored e-cigarettes and then backtracked from that statement, is expected to sign the bill, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>"Raising the tobacco age to 21 is a positive step, but it is not a substitute for prohibiting the flavored e-cigarettes that are luring and addicting our kids," said Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids media director Dave Lemmon in an emailed statement to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2019/12/19/congress-raises-tobacco-e-cigarette-purchasing-age-to-21/#13ed7530534d" target="_blank">Forbes</a>.</p>
<p>The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, <a href="https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1207742536007200768" target="_blank">tweeted</a> yesterday, "The Tobacco-Free Youth Act I introduced with Senator Kaine, is headed to @POTUS' desk and will help address this urgent crisis and keep tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, away from children."</p>
<div id="fec11" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="L3D5HC1576874827"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1207742536007200768" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨The Tobacco-Free Youth Act I introduced with Senator Kaine, is headed to @POTUS' desk and will help address this u… https://t.co/B45OgFcTeV</div> — Leader McConnell (@Leader McConnell)<a href="https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/statuses/1207742536007200768">1576783234.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The legislation has bipartisan support after recent data has shown e-cigarettes growing in popularity amongst teens. As of yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control identified 54 deaths and over 2,500 lung related injuries attributed to vaping. <a href="https://gizmodo.com/congress-passes-law-to-raise-smoking-and-vaping-age-to-1840541553" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a> reported that the 2019 <a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/youth-tobacco-use-results-national-youth-tobacco-survey" target="_blank">National Youth Tobacco Survey</a> found that more than 5 million youth are currently using e-cigarettes, with 1 million using it daily. The report also found that just 5.8 percent of high school students use traditional cigarettes, but 27.5 percent were using vaping products.</p><p>"This is a big win for public health," said Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, who had proposed the higher national age limit to buy tobacco in 2015 after his state adopted it, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported. "Raising the minimum smoking and vaping age to 21 will protect our kids and save lives." </p><p>Hawaii is far from the only state to raise the legal age limit. So far, 19 states and more than 500 municipalities have already raised the purchasing age to 21, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p><p>Many in the tobacco and e-cigarette industry approved of the measure, seeing it as a way to cushion the criticism the industry faces for marketing to youth. Sen. Dick Durbin is in favor of raising the age limit, but he was disappointed that the provision did not include an outright ban on flavored e-cigarettes. </p><p>"Any serious solution to skyrocketing rates of youth e-cigarette use must include the removal of kid-friendly flavors, not just the tobacco industry's preferred policy," Senator Durbin said in a statement, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>The backlash to the marketing to kids recently forced Facebook to change its policies on its site and on Instagram. While Facebook's ad policies have banned vaping and tobacco-products, it does allow influencers to post about smoking and accept sponsorship from advertisers, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/instagram-to-ban-influencers-from-promoting-vaping-and-guns.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>The company announced Wednesday that it will no longer allow influencers to post branded content on any of its platforms that promote e-cigarettes or tobacco products, effectively closing the loophole in private posts that advertisers exploited, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/18/instagram-to-ban-influencers-from-promoting-vaping-and-guns.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported. </p>
<p>The National Academy of Medicine has estimated that 90 percent of smokers developed their addiction before turning 19, when developing brains are most vulnerable to nicotine addiction. That has led some to believe that raising the legal age limit will reduce long-term addiction. </p>
<p>"I think that you would be able to see lots of improvements in reduction of tobacco use among teens, all of which is good because the longer you delay any kind of initiation, the less likelihood there is to develop addiction and the less likely it is that use will escalate," said Robin Mermelstein, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>Critics, however, contend that the bill makes no mention of how to implement raising the age-limit, and it will be toothless if retailers continue to sell to youth. Furthermore, most public health advocates argue that a ban on flavored e-cigarette products and an excise tax are more effective in reducing youth smoking, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/health/cigarette-sales-age-21.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p>
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Apple has removed all 181 vaping-related apps from its App Store. VioletaStoimenova / E+ / Getty Images
Apple has removed all 181 vaping-related apps from its App Store, the company announced on Friday. The removal of the apps comes after thousands of people across the country have developed lung illnesses from vaping and 42 people have died.
<p>"Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic. We agree, and we've updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted," the company said in a statement, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/health/apple-vaping-apps-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>The App Store also updated its <a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#safety" target="_blank">Review Guidelines</a> for developers looking to place their products in the App Store.</p><p>"Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store," says the company's guidelines, as <a href="https://vaping360.com/vape-news/86676/apple-removes-vaping-apps-from-the-app-store/" target="_blank">Vaping360</a> reported. "Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn't allowed."</p><p>The App Store has never allowed the sale of tobacco or vaping cartridges. The banned apps are a menagerie of apps, games, and hardware companion apps that allows users to regulate variables in the vaping process like the lighting and heating of vaping pens, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>However, iOS users who already own and use any of those 181 apps will be allowed to keep them and to continue using them, even if they transfer their information to a new device, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>The move is largely symbolic since vapers do not seem to depend on iOS apps and the apps removed only represent 0.00010 percent of the 1.8 million apps available, according to Apple, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/health/apple-vaping-apps-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We're constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users' health and well-being," Apple said in a statement emailed to <a href="https://www.axios.com/exclusive-apple-to-remove-vaping-apps-from-store-8669fd94-e92a-4ce4-a9e2-ce5afa598b67.html" target="_blank">Axios</a>.</p><p>Advocacy groups applauded the move.</p><p>"By taking e-cigarette related apps off the App Store, Apple will help reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette marketing and discourage youth use of these products," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Apple is setting a welcome example of corporate responsibility in protecting our kids."</p><p>The move comes as the CDC officials confirmed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/marijuana-vaping-lung-disease-2640236131.html" target="_self">what New York Department of Health officials found</a> — vitamin E acetate is a possible cause of the epidemic of vape-related lung illnesses. The CDC found the compound present in 29 tissue samples that it tested from all around the country. They called the compound a "potential toxin of concern," as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>While the CDC says it is a breakthrough, it has not yet declared the compound the official cause of the outbreak.</p>
<p>"Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic. We agree, and we've updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted," the company said in a statement, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/health/apple-vaping-apps-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>The App Store also updated its <a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#safety" target="_blank">Review Guidelines</a> for developers looking to place their products in the App Store.</p><p>"Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store," says the company's guidelines, as <a href="https://vaping360.com/vape-news/86676/apple-removes-vaping-apps-from-the-app-store/" target="_blank">Vaping360</a> reported. "Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn't allowed."</p><p>The App Store has never allowed the sale of tobacco or vaping cartridges. The banned apps are a menagerie of apps, games, and hardware companion apps that allows users to regulate variables in the vaping process like the lighting and heating of vaping pens, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>However, iOS users who already own and use any of those 181 apps will be allowed to keep them and to continue using them, even if they transfer their information to a new device, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>The move is largely symbolic since vapers do not seem to depend on iOS apps and the apps removed only represent 0.00010 percent of the 1.8 million apps available, according to Apple, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/health/apple-vaping-apps-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We're constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users' health and well-being," Apple said in a statement emailed to <a href="https://www.axios.com/exclusive-apple-to-remove-vaping-apps-from-store-8669fd94-e92a-4ce4-a9e2-ce5afa598b67.html" target="_blank">Axios</a>.</p><p>Advocacy groups applauded the move.</p><p>"By taking e-cigarette related apps off the App Store, Apple will help reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette marketing and discourage youth use of these products," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Apple is setting a welcome example of corporate responsibility in protecting our kids."</p><p>The move comes as the CDC officials confirmed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/marijuana-vaping-lung-disease-2640236131.html" target="_self">what New York Department of Health officials found</a> — vitamin E acetate is a possible cause of the epidemic of vape-related lung illnesses. The CDC found the compound present in 29 tissue samples that it tested from all around the country. They called the compound a "potential toxin of concern," as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/apple-removes-vaping-related-apps-from-app-store-amid-lung-illness-crisis.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>While the CDC says it is a break through, it has not yet declared the compound the official cause of the outbreak, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/health/apple-vaping-apps-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. </p>
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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new numbers that show vaping-related lung illnesses are continuing to grow across the country, as the number of fatalities has climbed to 33 and hospitalizations have reached 1,479 cases, according to a CDC update.
<p>Those numbers, which come from 49 states (not Alaska) plus DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands, represent nearly 200 more cases and 7 more deaths than last week when the number of report vaping-related illnesses tallied 1,299 and 26 fatalities, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/17/health/vaping-lung-injury-new-cases-cdc-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p><br>"This is extremely complicated and difficult. It's fatal or potentially fatal with half of the cases requiring intensive care," said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat to House lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/vaping-illness-deaths-climb-to-33-as-outbreak-spreads-and-doctors-worry-flu-season-could-make-it-worse.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>The CDC has warned in the past that almost all patients who get sick end up hospitalized, and the overwhelming number are young people. In cases where the CDC had age and gender data, 79 percent were under 35, with the median age of 23, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/vaping-illness-deaths-climb-to-33-as-outbreak-spreads-and-doctors-worry-flu-season-could-make-it-worse.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported. The youngest was 13.</p><p>The CDC was able to identify the products used in 849 of the 1,479 confirmed EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury) cases, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/33-dead-vape-epidemic-cdc-black-market-thc-products-major-role" target="_blank">Fox News</a>. From that sample, 78 percent reported using some sort of marijuana product containing THC within the three months prior to developing symptoms.</p><p>While the CDC confirmed that there are 33 vaping-related deaths, it said it is investigating other deaths to see if EVALI was the cause. The patients who died range in age from 17 to 75, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/17/health/vaping-lung-injury-new-cases-cdc-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>Last month, New York State pinpointed vitamin E in marijuana vaping products as a possible culprit causing lung irritation, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/marijuana-vaping-lung-disease-2640236131.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported. The CDC, however, has not adopted that stance, insisting that it still does not know the cause. "No one compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date; and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak," the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html" target="_blank">CDC's update</a> reads.</p><p>In the meantime, the CDC recommends that smokers avoid THC-related products, not buy any vape material illegally, and not alter a legal product in any way. It also emphasized that smokers "consider refraining from use of all e-cigarette and vaping products," and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recommended</a> that "there is no safe tobacco product. All tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, carry a risk."</p>
<p>The CDC warned that the impending flu season could exacerbate symptoms. The CDC said patients who develop EVALI might increase their risk of developing severe flu complications or other respiratory illnesses circulating during the winter, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/vaping-illness-deaths-climb-to-33-as-outbreak-spreads-and-doctors-worry-flu-season-could-make-it-worse.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p><p>"It's going to be a very challenging winter," Schuchat said at the House hearing.</p><p>Anticipating a ban on its product due to the young age of most EVALI patients, e-cigarette giant Juul announced that it will immediately suspend all sales of it popular fruity e-cigarette flavors—crème, mango, fruit, cucumber—that are often blamed for appealing to and addicting teenage customers to its products, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/e-cigarette-giant-juul-suspends-sales-of-fruity-flavors-ahead-of-looming-ban.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported. However, the company will continue to sell its mint and menthol flavors on its website.</p><p>Juul's sales have soared over the past few years alongside a spike of middle school and high school students who report using e-cigarettes.</p><p>"We must reset the vapor category by earning the trust of society and working cooperatively with regulators, policymakers, and stakeholders to combat underage use while providing an alternative to adult smokers," said Juul CEO KC Crosthwaite said in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/e-cigarette-giant-juul-suspends-sales-of-fruity-flavors-ahead-of-looming-ban.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>The move did not pass muster with the company's critics though.</p><p>"Juul's announcement today that it is leaving mint and menthol flavors on the market shows that it hasn't changed one bit under its new leadership and isn't serious about preventing youth use," said Matthew Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a statement, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/e-cigarette-giant-juul-suspends-sales-of-fruity-flavors-ahead-of-looming-ban.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported.</p>
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Histopathology of Acute Lung Injury Associated with Vaping. New England Journal of Medicine
People who develop respiratory illnesses after using e-cigarettes to vape nicotine and marijuana are showing symptoms akin to chemical burns in their lungs, according to new research by Mayo Clinic doctors.
<p>The illness is causing lung damage that resembles injuries from chemical weapons used in World War I such as mustard gas and those found in industrial workers after a toxic chemical spill, Dr. Brandon Larsen, an Arizona-based surgical pathologist at the Mayo Clinic and senior author of the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1913069?query=featured_home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">study</a>, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/health/vaping-illnesses.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p><p>The doctors, who published their findings this week in the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1913069?query=featured_home" target="_blank">New England Journal of Medicine</a>, examined biopsies from 17 of the <a href="https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20191002/getting-to-the-bottom-of-vaping-illnesses-outbreak" target="_blank">more than 800 people</a> around the country since April who have developed a deadly respiratory illness from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vaping" rel="noopener noreferrer">vaping</a> — including two who died from the illness.</p>
<div id="d829d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SYQNVL1576661362"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1179774356051726336" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New resource for physicians and health care professionals — on a new page, NEJM presents a collection of recently-p… https://t.co/Y3YssY9hfb</div> — NEJM (@NEJM)<a href="https://twitter.com/NEJM/statuses/1179774356051726336">1570115100.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"All 17 of our cases show a pattern of injury in the lung that looks like a toxic chemical exposure, a toxic chemical fume exposure, or a chemical burn injury," Larsen told the Times.<br></p><p>The study marks the first formal research using lung tissue samples of patients with the mystery illness, and the first time toxic chemicals have been considered as the primary culprit. </p><p>Previously, the prevailing theory was that oil additives in vape juice had been causing fatty acid to build up in the lungs,<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/02/toxic-chemical-fumes-not-oils-may-be-causing-vaping-illness-mayo-clinic.html" target="_blank"> CNBC reported</a>, but no cases in the Mayo Clinic study showed any evidence to that effect.</p><p>Instead, the doctors observed tissue damage and cell death in the airways and lungs suggestive of pneumonia from inhaling "noxious chemical fumes." According to the New York Times, when the body tries to heal the damage, swelling tissue and fluid build up can make breathing even more difficult.</p><p>"Based on what we have seen in our study, we suspect that most cases involve chemical contaminants, toxic byproducts or other noxious agents within vape liquids," Larsen said in a <a href="https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/vaping-associated-lung-injury-may-be-caused-by-toxic-chemical-fumes-study-fines/" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p><p>Finding out exactly which chemicals are causing the illness will require additional research, Larsen told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/03/health/vaping-lung-disease-chemicals/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>, but researchers have begun to hone in on patterns across the cases that could eventually point to the cause.</p>
<div id="fc48f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="BQ8O2N1576661363"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1179502770589708288" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Everyone should recognize that #vaping is not a wise thing to be doing, and I think our research supports that," s… https://t.co/aVz6WjPaHj</div> — Mayo Clinic (@Mayo Clinic)<a href="https://twitter.com/MayoClinic/statuses/1179502770589708288">1570050349.0</a></blockquote></div><p>For instance, the Mayo Clinic researchers said that more than 70 percent of the cases involved people who vaped marijuana or cannabis oils, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/03/health/vaping-lung-disease-chemicals/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>This supports <a href="https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20191002/getting-to-the-bottom-of-vaping-illnesses-outbreak" target="_blank">previous reports</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which noted that 77 percent of patients who reported having the illness had used vape products that were acquired illicitly and often contained THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.</p><p>As of Thursday, respiratory illnesses from vaping were linked to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/01/health/virginia-vaping-lung-death-bn/index.html" target="_blank">17 deaths</a> in Alabama, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Florida and Georgia.</p><p>In response to the outbreak, a number of states have <a href="https://time.com/5685936/state-vaping-bans/" target="_blank">issued bans</a> on vapes and the CDC has <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html" target="_blank">warned against</a> using e-cigarettes and buying vape products off the street. The agency also urged users to avoid adding any substances to vaping products that were not intended by the manufacturer.</p><p>"Everyone should recognize that vaping is not without potential risks, including life-threatening risks, and I think our research supports that," Larsen said in the <a href="https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/vaping-associated-lung-injury-may-be-caused-by-toxic-chemical-fumes-study-fines/" target="_blank">press release</a>. "It would seem prudent based on our observations to explore ways to better regulate the industry and better educate the public, especially our youth, about the risks associated with vaping."</p>
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Inhaling from an electronic cigarette. 6okean / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Shawn Radcliffe
- As illnesses and deaths linked to vaping continue to rise, health officials urge people to stop using e-cigarettes.
- Officials report 8 deaths have been linked to lung illnesses related to vaping.
- Vitamin E acetate is one compound officials are investigating as a potential cause for the outbreak.
The number of vaping-related illnesses has grown to 530 cases in 38 states and 1 U.S. territory, federal health officials reported.
<p><br></p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/vaping-illness-top-400#Even-licensed-vape-products-carry-risks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em></p>
<p>This number is up significantly from the 380 cases reported last week.</p><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that they were only including probable and confirmed cases. They're no longer including possible cases that are under investigation.</p><p>Eight deaths linked to vaping have been confirmed in 7 states — California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oregon. The latest death was <a href="https://health.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/6aa00c1e-504f-43a0-ad83-7b01390cfe8b/dhss-announces-first-vaping-associated-death-in-missouri-eighth-nationally" target="_blank">reported</a> in Missouri on Monday.</p><p>In the case, a man in his mid 40s came down with a vaping-related lung illness that rendered his lungs unable to provide gas exchange. He had normal lung function before he started vaping last May.</p><p>Many of the people affected required supplemental oxygen, and some had to be put on a ventilator to help them breathe.</p><p>"These developments are extremely concerning, especially because most victims are teenagers or young adults," said <a href="https://www.uofmhealth.org/profile/31740/wassim-walid-labaki-md" target="_blank">Dr. Wassim Labaki</a>, a pulmonary disease physician at the University of Michigan.</p><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/electronic-cigarettes" target="_blank">E-cigarettes</a> — battery-powered devices that heat liquids with substances such as nicotine and marijuana — have been around for more than a decade.</p><p>But reports of vaping-related illnesses started showing up in <a href="https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/dph/memos/beoh/2019-02.pdf" target="_blank">July</a>. Since then, the number of cases has grown steadily.</p><p>Patients report experiencing symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath, as well as nausea, fatigue, and weight loss. Symptoms may develop over a few days or several weeks.</p>
Cdc and FDA Narrow Investigation
<p>The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are coordinating with state health officials in testing samples of vape products and monitoring illnesses.</p><p>The focus of the investigation is narrowing, but "complex questions" remain, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/ondieh.html" target="_blank">Ileana Arias</a>, PhD, the CDC's acting deputy director for noninfectious diseases, said in a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/a0906-vaping-disease.html" target="_blank">briefing</a> on Friday.</p><p>"Until we have a cause and while this investigation is ongoing… we're recommending individuals consider not using e-cigarettes," she said.</p><p>The FDA, though, has focused its <a href="https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/vaping-illnesses-consumers-can-help-protect-themselves-avoiding-tetrahydrocannabinol-thc-containing?utm_campaign=CU_Vaping%20Illnesses_9/6/2019&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua" target="_blank">warnings</a> on vaping products containing THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis.</p><p>Many people affected reported recently <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0906-vaping-related-illness.html" target="_blank">vaping cannabis products</a>. But some said they had used e-cigarettes containing both THC and nicotine, or only nicotine.</p><p>Given the number of questions that remain about these cases — and that e-cigarettes are largely <a href="https://www.salon.com/2019/09/03/experts-say-a-lack-of-regulation-caused-mysterious-vaping-illness/" target="_blank">unregulated</a> — many health officials are urging caution.</p><p>"There is no guarantee that vaping is safe, especially if 'black market' products are used," said <a href="http://www.lenhorovitz.com/_index.php" target="_blank">Dr. Len Horovitz</a>, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.</p><p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/about-center-tobacco-products-ctp/mitch-zeller" target="_blank">Mitch Zeller</a>, JD, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, echoed this in Friday's briefing.</p><p>"If you're thinking of purchasing one of these products off the street, out of the back of a car, out of a trunk, in an alley… think twice," he said.</p><p>He also warned against adding compounds to vaping products, even those purchased at licensed retailers.</p>Vitamin E Compound Is Possible Culprit
<p>CDC officials currently believe that these cases involve chemical exposure, rather than an infection. Laboratory testing has identified one possible culprit — vitamin E acetate.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2019/2019-09-05_vaping.htm" target="_blank">New York State Department of Health</a> said this month that nearly all cannabis-containing samples tested as part of the state's investigation contained "very high" levels of this compound. This wasn't found in nicotine-based products that were tested.</p><p>Vitamin E acetate is a common nutritional supplement that is "not known to cause harm when ingested as a vitamin supplement or applied to the skin," said the Department.</p><p>But if the compound is aerosolized and then inhaled through the lungs, it's not clear what kind of damage it can do.</p><p>Vitamin E acetate isn't approved as a vape product additive by the New York State Medical Marijuana Program.</p><p>The Department is continuing to investigate whether inhaling this oil-like compound could be responsible for the symptoms seen in patients.</p><p>Although health officials are keeping an eye on vitamin E acetate, some of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0906-vaping-related-illness.html" target="_blank">more than 120 samples</a> being tested by the FDA have not contained this compound.</p><p>"No one substance or compound, including vitamin E acetate, has been identified in all of the samples tested," said Zeller.</p><p>During Friday's briefing, health officials emphasized that the number of cases is definitely rising, rather than more of them being diagnosed by doctors.</p><p>States are also reviewing earlier medical records using <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6836e2.htm" target="_blank">guidelines</a> developed by the CDC to see if the illnesses extend further back than the first cases reported in July.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-layden-8aa35311a/" target="_blank">Dr. Jennifer Layden,</a> chief medical officer and state epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health, said during the briefing that so far they've identified cases as early as mid-April.</p>Even Licensed Vape Products Carry Risks
<p>While the current investigation focuses in part on black market vaping products, even those purchased from licensed retailers <a href="https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-017-0249-x" target="_blank">contain</a> potentially harmful ingredients.</p><p>"People should remember that these devices are still not regulated," said Labaki. "Therefore, consumers of e-cigarettes are constantly at risk of exposure to potentially toxic inhaled compounds."</p><p>With the number of vaping-related illnesses continuing to rise, Labaki recommends that people stop vaping immediately.</p><p>"This is a still growing public health crisis and the consequences are very serious, including respiratory failure and death," he said. "Continuing to vape is certainly not worth the risks."</p><p><a href="https://www.northwell.edu/find-care/find-a-doctor/emergency-medicine/dr-teresa-murray-amato-md-11354025" target="_blank">Dr. Teresa Murray Amato</a>, director of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in Queens, New York, said there's a shortage of good-quality research on the short- and long-term effects of vaping on health.</p><p>But she said given the recent concerns about vaping, people should consider the risks before choosing to vape.</p><p>The CDC says that people who use e-cigarettes should seek medical care promptly if they experience any <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html#symptoms-severe-pulmonary-disease" target="_blank">symptoms</a> seen in these cases.</p><p>A growing number of recent studies show that e-cigarettes have a number of potential health risks independent of this recent outbreak. These dangers include damaging <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31390877" target="_blank">lung tissue</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31429679" target="_blank">blood vessels</a>.</p><p>Nicotine addiction is another issue that concerns experts. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0193328" target="_blank">Studies</a> show that e-cigarettes could get a new generation of young people hooked on nicotine and combustible cigarettes.</p><p>"Vaping in any form is smoking, and we know now that smoking destroys lungs and leads to chronic breathing problems," said <a href="https://www.houstonmethodist.org/doctor/zeenat-safdar/" target="_blank">Dr. Zeenat Safdar</a>, pulmonary critical care physician at Houston Methodist, in Houston, Texas.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Vaping360 / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
The Trump administration will ban flavored e-cigarettes. It comes in response to a surge in youth vaping and health concerns following a handful of mysterious deaths and hundreds of lung illnesses linked to the product.
<p>The U.S. federal government plans to ban flavored e-cigarettes amid rising concern over youth vaping and lung illness and deaths linked to the products, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.</p><p>The president and top U.S. officials expressed concern that flavored vaping products ranging from mint to mango were drawing millions of youth into nicotine addiction.</p><p>"We have a problem in our country, it's a new problem ... and it's called vaping, especially vaping as it pertains to innocent children," Trump said in the Oval Office. "There have been deaths and there have been a lot of other problems."</p>
Fda Approval Required
<p>U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement at the White House alongside acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Ned Sharpless, the president and First Lady Melania Trump.</p><p>Azar said the FDA would create guidelines over the next couple of weeks to remove all flavored e-cigarettes from the market.</p><p>"We simply have to remove these attractive flavored products from the marketplace until they can secure FDA approval, if they can," Azar said, adding that tobacco flavored products would remain on the market for adult consumers.</p><p>But he said that if <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/childrens-health">children</a> use tobacco flavored products, "we will take enforcement action there also."</p><p>Flavored products may apply for FDA approval, but they would only be granted clearance if they prove to show a net benefit to public health, he said. </p>New Generation of Vaping Addicts
<p>The announcement comes after parents, health officials and politicians have called for federal action to stem a surge in vaping.</p><p>Preliminary federal health data for 2019 shows a quarter of high school students had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. The vast majority of underage teens consumed fruit, menthol or mint flavors.</p><p>E-cigarette advocates argue <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vaping">vaping</a> is safer than cigarettes and can help users stop smoking, but there is little evidence nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are effective in dropping the habit.</p><p>Critics say companies such as Juul have marketed their products to youths and created a new generation of addicts to feed a multi-billion dollar market. </p><p>"It has taken far too long to stop Juul and other e-cigarettes companies from targeting our nation's kids with sweet-flavored, nicotine-loaded products," said Matthew Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a statement.</p>Growing Questions Over Safety
<p>Most health experts agree that e-cigarettes are safer than smoking tobacco products that contain thousands of chemicals and lead to the death of nearly a half-million people a year in the United States.</p><p>However, there is scant research on the long-term effects of vaping.</p><p>The administration's announcement comes as e-cigarettes and other vaping devices have been linked to six deaths and nearly 450 cases of possible vaping-related lung illness.</p><p>The exact cause of the deaths and illnesses have not been determined, but most are initially believed to be related to vaping counterfeit <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marijuana">marijuana</a> products containing vitamin E oil, which is dangerous if inhaled.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Trending
This Ingredient May Be Responsible for Marijuana Vaping Lung Disease Outbreak
06 September 2019
Health + Wellness
Vape pen with marijuana oil and medical marijuana in the background. It seems that the products were purchased off the street rather than in medical dispensaries. HighGradeRoots / iStock / Getty Images Plus
It's still unknown exactly what is causing the epidemic of lung-illness from vaping that has afflicted at least 215 people in 25 states and killed two people, according to the FDA, but investigators in New York think they have pinpointed the culprit: Vitamin E, as NPR reported.
<p>The New York Department of Health released a statement that very high levels of a vitamin E acetate compound were found in 13 samples of cannabis vape cartridges used by eight of the nearly three dozen patients in the state who have been hospitalized with vape-related lung disease, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/health/vaping-illness-lung-vitamin-e.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</p>
<div id="b3473" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7X039B1576661500"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1169792361263751170" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Health investigators are looking at vitamin E acetate as a possible cause of a severe lung disease linked to vaping. https://t.co/6qHyGcmriA</div> — NYT Health (@NYT Health)<a href="https://twitter.com/NYTHealth/statuses/1169792361263751170">1567735207.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"At least one vitamin E acetate containing vape product has been linked to each patient who submitted a product for testing," according to a <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2019/2019-09-05_vaping.htm" target="_blank">statement</a> from the New York State Department of Health.</p>
<p>Vitamin E is a common nutritional supplement, but it is not meant to be inhaled. The additive is now the main focus of New York State's investigation into vape-related pulmonary disease, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/05/vitamin-e-vaping-disease-cdc-1709200" target="_blank">Politico</a>. </p>
<p>While New York may have a lead on a suspect, it is certainly not the end of the search for what is harming the lungs of e-cigarette users, particularly since vitamin E acetate has not been confirmed as a factor in the majority of cases in New York State.</p>
<p>"That's the best theory, or hypothesis, we have right now," said Dr. Howard Zucker, the New York State health commissioner, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/health/vaping-illness-lung-vitamin-e.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported. "We haven't ruled out there isn't something else in the vaping material."</p>
<p>"We urge the public to be vigilant about any vaping products that they or any family members may be using and to immediately contact their health care provider if they develop any unusual symptoms. In general, vaping of unknown substances is dangerous, and we continue to explore all options to combat this public health issue," he said as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/05/health/vaping-chemical-new-york-investigation-bn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p>Vitamin E acetate is not approved as an additive in the state's medical marijuana program. Nor was it found in the nicotine-based products that the state tested, according to the NYS Department of Health <a href="https://health.ny.gov/press/releases/2019/2019-09-05_vaping.htm" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p>
<p>When it is "inhaled deep in the lung, [it] can cause problems," Zucker told <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/05/758005409/vitamin-e-suspected-in-serious-lung-problems-among-people-who-vaped-cannabis" target="_blank">NPR</a>. He went on to say that in some samples, the amount of vitamin E acetate was as high as 50 percent of the liquid in the vaping cartridge.</p>
<p>It seems that the products were purchased off the street rather than in medical dispensaries. </p>
<p>"This is a situation of people buying products that have been laced with markedly elevated amounts of vitamin E," said Zucker to <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/05/758005409/vitamin-e-suspected-in-serious-lung-problems-among-people-who-vaped-cannabis" target="_blank">NPR</a>. </p>
<p>Some of the products that were found to contain vitamin E acetate were candy-flavored vapes, which have come under fire recently for its appeal to minors. The New York State Department of Health <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nysdoh/sets/72157710703391248/" target="_blank">released photographs</a> of the products that contained vitamin E. </p>
<p>The FDA, which is also investigating the outbreak of lung-disease in healthy people who vape, cautioned that there is no magic bullet in identifying a cause. The FDA is also testing a wider range of samples. </p>
<p>"The number of samples we have received continues to increase and we now have over 100 samples for testing," wrote FDA senior adviser Michael Felberbaum in an emailed statement, as <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/05/758005409/vitamin-e-suspected-in-serious-lung-problems-among-people-who-vaped-cannabis" target="_blank">NPR</a> reported "The FDA is analyzing samples submitted by the states for the presence of a broad range of chemicals, including nicotine, THC and other cannabinoids along with cutting agents/diluents and other additives, pesticides, opioids, poisons and toxins. No one substance, including Vitamin E acetate, has been identified in all of the samples."</p>
<div id="75aef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DYIO6F1576661501"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1164233713070366720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Vaping Damages Blood Vessels After Just One Use, New Study Says via @EcoWatch "Nobody knows what it does to the hum… https://t.co/ODTbcvmVzO</div> — Manini af (@Manini af)<a href="https://twitter.com/ManiniAlex/statuses/1164233713070366720">1566409922.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Vaping an electronic cigarette. Ecig Click / CC BY-SA 2.0
The city of Milwaukee issued a health alert last week urging its residents to stop vaping immediately. The health alert came after came in the wake of 16 hospitalizations where chemical pneumonia, a severe illness that causes lung inflammation, was triggered by e-cigarette use, the Milwaukee health department said, as CNN reported.
<div id="06167" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="B90MN31576661524"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1167074884817752064" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">HEALTH ALERT: The City of Milwaukee Health Department Urges Residents to Stop Using Vaping Products.
Here's what… https://t.co/8a8bNXci2Q</div> — MKE Health Dept. (@MKE Health Dept.)<a href="https://twitter.com/MKEhealth/statuses/1167074884817752064">1567087310.0</a></blockquote></div><p>That is just a fraction of the nearly 200 cases of lung disease reported in nearly 22 states. Plus, an additional 15 other cases in Milwaukee are being investigated, as <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/28/vaping-alert-stop-using-e-cigarettes-milwaukee-health-officials-say/2146544001/" target="_blank">USA Today</a> reported. Furthermore, in neighboring Illinois, the first casualty of e-cigarettes was reported when a man died of vaping-induced lung disease. Illinois leads the nation in vape-related illnesses, according to the Center for Disease Control, with Wisconsin ranking second, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/health/milwaukee-stop-vaping-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p>"We continue to learn more about the health effects associated with e-cigarettes," said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/28/vaping-alert-stop-using-e-cigarettes-milwaukee-health-officials-say/2146544001/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>. "As the public health authority for the city, the Milwaukee Health Department is committed to protecting the public from the dangers of secondhand exposure."</p>
<p>One of the troubling health effects that has recently come to light is that vaping damages blood vessels and impairs lung function after just one use, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/vaping-health-blood-vessels-2639938271.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> recently reported. </p>
<p>For all the cases in Milwaukee, the hospitalized victims reported using vape products or dabbing — inhaling marijuana oils, extracts, or concentrates. However, the specific products they each used are still unknown, according to the city's health department officials, as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/city-milwaukee-urges-residents-stop-vaping-immediately/story?id=65260728" target="_blank">ABC News</a> reported. </p>
<p>"Vaping cartridges containing THC may include chemicals or additives that are unknown, unregulated, and unsafe," said Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/health/milwaukee-stop-vaping-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. "We strongly urge people not to vape."</p>
<p>The Milawaukee Health Department's warning comes at a time when vape companies are coming under fire and facing litigation for their marketing products. A mother in Missouri has filed suit against the industry leader, California-based Juul Labs, Inc. for a marketing strategy that targeted unwitting teenagers with candy-like flavors, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/city-milwaukee-urges-residents-stop-vaping-immediately/story?id=65260728" target="_blank">ABC News</a>. Juul also faced a suit in May from the North Carolina Attorney General who alleged that the company misrepresented just how potent its nicotine products are and for targeting young consumers, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/27/nc-sues-eonsmoke-other-vape-companies-for-allegedly-targeting-kids.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported. </p>
<p>Last week, Josh Stein, the North Carolina Attorney General also filed suit against eight other e-cigarette companies for targeting children as customers. The companies in Stein's crosshairs are Beard Vape, Direct eLiquid, Electric Lotus, Electric Tobacconist, Eonsmoke, Juice Man, Tinted Brew and VapeCo. All of who used flavors, marketing strategies, and lax age-verification system to sell to underage smokers, Stein alleged in the lawsuit, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/27/nc-sues-eonsmoke-other-vape-companies-for-allegedly-targeting-kids.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>. </p>
<p>"There is a vaping epidemic among high schoolers and middle schoolers in North Carolina and the United States," Stein said, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/27/nc-sues-eonsmoke-other-vape-companies-for-allegedly-targeting-kids.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a> reported. The lawsuits wants to "shut down their operations targeting young people in North Carolina."</p>
<p>"We simply have no idea what the long-term health implications of these products are, and people who are using them are essentially turning themselves into guinea pigs," Stein said.</p>
<p>In response to Stein's actions, Juul Labs said last week that it has shut down some of its social media accounts and boosted its online age-verification process, among other measures.</p>
<p>"We share the Attorney General's concerns about youth vaping, which is why we have been cooperating with his office and why we have taken the most aggressive actions of anyone in the industry to combat youth usage," Juul said, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/27/nc-sues-eonsmoke-other-vape-companies-for-allegedly-targeting-kids.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p>
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Vaping impaired the circulatory systems of people in a new study. bulentumut / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Vaping one time — even without nicotine — can damage blood vessels, reduce blood flow and create dangerous toxins, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology.
<p>The study found that the heat created when e-cigarettes turn liquid into vapor stirs the compounds into toxic particles, which damage blood vessels. To perform the study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine took an MRI scan of 31 healthy non-smokers before and after vaping nicotine-free e-cigarettes.</p><p>The study participants took 3-second drags 16 times on an e-cigarette that had tobacco flavoring and sweeteners, but no nicotine, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/vaping-first-time-can-damage-blood-vessels-n1044216" target="_blank">NBC News</a> reported. The researchers found that after vaping, blood flow decreased in the femoral artery — the main artery that delivers blood to the thigh and the leg. In fact, the participants had had worse circulation, stiffer arteries and less oxygen in their blood.</p><p>"The results of our study defeat the notion that e-cigarette vaping is harmless," said Felix Wehrli, the study's principal investigator, as <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/vaping-may-harm-your-blood-flow-even-without-nicotine/" target="_blank">Wired</a> reported.</p><p>"Beyond the harmful effects of nicotine, we've shown that vaping has a sudden, immediate effect on the body's vascular function, and could potentially lead to long-term harmful consequences," he said in a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm" target="_blank">statement</a> released by the University of Pennsylvania.</p><p>The changes that Wehril and his team noticed reflect the same process in the initial steps of the development of cardiovascular disease, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/health/vaping-cardiovascular-study/?utm_medium=internal&utm_term=business-hp-test&utm_content=learn" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. Though, to be fair, that takes many years to develop.</p><p>Specifically, the researchers observed an average 34 percent reduction in the femoral artery's dilation. They also saw that vaping led to a 17.5 percent reduction in peak blood flow, and a 20 percent reduction in oxygen in the veins, according to a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm" target="_blank">press release statement</a>.</p><p>The study's lead author, Alessandra Caporale, said in a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm" target="_blank">statement</a> that these findings suggest that vaping can cause significant changes to the inner lining of blood vessels.</p><p>"E-cigarettes are advertised as not harmful, and many e-cigarette users are convinced that they are just inhaling water vapor," Caporale said in a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190820101601.htm" target="_blank">statement</a>. "But the solvents, flavorings and additives in the liquid base, after vaporization, expose users to multiple insults to the respiratory tract and blood vessels."</p><p>The notion that e-cigarettes are not harmful has faced a backlash recently for marketing its sweet vaping juices to kids. Recently, nearly 100 teens in 14 states reported lung damage after vaping, including 14 hospitalizations in just two states earlier this month, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/vaping-hospitalizations-2639658679.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported. The problem has gotten so severe that last week the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/s0817-pulmonary-disease-ecigarettes.html" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control announced</a> it would launch an investigation into the health consequences of smoking e-cigarettes.</p><p>While many doctors believe that vaping is healthier than smoking cigarettes, the unknown long-term effect of flavorings, particles, heavy metals and other components used in e-cigarettes has them worried, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/health/vaping-cardiovascular-study/?utm_medium=internal&utm_term=business-hp-test&utm_content=learn" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>This spring, another study that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/27/health/vaping-heart-cells-study/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported on found that e-cigarette flavors, or juice, had toxic effects including weaker cell survival and increased inflammation.</p><p>"Inhaling chemicals into your lungs is dangerous," said Erika Sward, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association, which does not recommend that anyone use e-cigarettes, as <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/vaping-may-harm-your-blood-flow-even-without-nicotine/" target="_blank">Wired</a> reported. "E-cigarettes are guilty until proven innocent and we are very much in the guilty stage."</p><p>"Nobody knows what it does to the human lung to breathe in and out aerosolized propylene glycol and glycerin over and over. It's an experiment, frankly," said Dr. Robert Jackler, founder of <a href="http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/index.php" target="_blank">Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising</a>, at a congressional hearing in July. "We will find out, years from now, the results."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">30+ Seizures After <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vaping?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vaping</a> Have <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FDA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FDA</a> Questioning a Link <a href="https://t.co/fHvrcAXpH0">https://t.co/fHvrcAXpH0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Healthline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Healthline</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ewg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ewg</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/1113909170649145344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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