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CDC Flags One Death, Nearly 200 Illnesses Possibly Tied to Vaping

Reuters

   The U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention said Friday that it
   had identified 193 potential casesof severe lung illness tied to vaping
   in 22 states as of Aug.22, including one adult in Illinois who died
   after beinghospitalized.

   The CDC has been investigating a "cluster" of lung illnessesthat it
   believes may be linked to e-cigarette use, although ithas not yet been
   able to establish whether they were in factcaused by vaping.

   E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer thantraditional
   cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetimeusers, according to
   the World Health Organization. But thelong-term health effects of
   vaping are largely unknown.

   No link to specific product

   In a briefing with reporters, representatives from healthagencies,
   including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, saidthey have not
   linked the illnesses to any specific product andthat some patients had
   reporting vaping with cannabis liquids.

   Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for TobaccoProducts, said
   the agency was analyzing product samples fromstates to identify any
   potentially harmful elements thatmay be triggering theillnesses.

   He said health agencies were trying to learn which specificvaping
   products were used and whether they were being used asintended or mixed
   with other substances.

   "Those kinds of facts need to be strung together for everysingle one of
   these cases, so that we can see if any other kindsof patterns have
   emerged," Zeller said.

   The number of potential cases has more than doubled overthe past week.
   On Aug. 17, the CDC said it was investigating 94potential lung
   illnesses in 14 states.

   Brian King, deputy director of research translation at theCDC's smoking
   and health division, said it was possible there might have been earlier
   cases that health agencies had not identified.

   Possible health implications

   "The bottom line is that there's a variety of things ine-cigarette
   aerosols that could have implications for lunghealth," said King,
   adding that none of those compounds had been directly linked to the
   recent hospitalizations.

   In a statement Thursday, Gregory Conley, president of theAmerican
   Vaping Association, said he was "confident" theillnesses were being
   caused by devices containing cannabis orother synthetic drugs, not
   nicotine.

   Patients have reported difficulty breathing, shortness ofbreath and
   sometimes chest pain before being hospitalized. Somehave shown symptoms
   like vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue.

   "The severity of illness people are experiencing is alarmingand we must
   get the word out that using e-cigarettes and vapingcan be dangerous,"
   Illinois Department of Public Health DirectorDr. NgoziEzikesaid in a
   statement earlier.

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