|
 Attorney General Raoul is urging Illinoisans to avoid using
e-cigarette or vape products after nationwide reports of users being
hospitalized. Since June, approximately 300 residents of 23 states
have been hospitalized after experiencing severe respiratory
problems and other worsening symptoms after using e-cigarette or
vape products. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health
(IDPH), 27 cases have been reported in Chicago and Champaign, as
well as Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Madison, McHenry,
Peoria, St. Clair, Tazewell, Will, and Winnebago counties. Cases
involve individuals between the ages of 17 and 38 and have resulted
in one fatality.
“E-cigarettes are appealing to consumers for a number of reasons,
including the mistaken belief that e-cigarettes are somehow safer
than other tobacco products,” Raoul said. “As people around the
country report being hospitalized after using e-cigarettes or vape
pens, and with one fatality already in the state of Illinois, it is
clear that vaping products pose a significant health risk and should
be avoided.”
According to Raoul, symptoms experienced by individuals who have
become ill range from difficulty breathing, coughing and fatigue, to
vomiting and diarrhea. People who have been hospitalized reported
that their symptoms worsened in the days or weeks after using
e-cigarettes or vape products. Raoul encourages anyone experiencing
such symptoms after using e-cigarette products – even if symptoms do
not take place instantaneously – to seek immediate medical
attention.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported
that many patients, including some in Illinois, reported vaping
products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) before experiencing
symptoms. Although the reported illnesses have not been linked to
any particular e-cigarette or vape product, no e-cigarette or vape
product has been conclusively eliminated as a potential source of
the illnesses.
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According to the IDPH, the aerosol created by e-cigarettes can contain harmful
ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration has also reported that some people
who use e-cigarettes – primarily youth and young adults – have experienced
seizures, which are a potential side effect of nicotine toxicity.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office has long fought to decrease the use of
tobacco and nicotine products, particularly by young people. In June 2018, the
Attorney General’s office asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban
flavored tobacco products. In May, Attorney General Raoul urged the FDA to
strengthen e-cigarette guidance by prioritizing enforcement actions against
flavored e-cigarettes. Earlier this month, the Attorney General and a coalition
of attorneys general urged the streaming video industry to adopt policies to
protect young viewers from often glamorized tobacco content.
Currently, the Attorney General’s office is investigating one of the nation’s
leading e-cigarette companies, Juul Labs, for possible violations of Illinois’
consumer protection laws. According to the Wall Street Journal, Juul sold more
than 12 million devices and 390 refill pods in the U.S. during just the first
half of 2019. While the Attorney General’s investigation into Juul’s marketing
practices is ongoing, the office is also evaluating the possibility of
investigating additional e-cigarette companies.
Attorney General Raoul is encouraging Illinoisans who became ill after using
e-cigarettes or vape products to file complaints on his website or by calling
one of Raoul’s Consumer Fraud Hotlines: 1-800-386-5438, Chicago; 1-800-243-0618,
Springfield; or 1-800-243-0607, Carbondale.
For more information and free resources to help quit tobacco, please visit the
Illinois Tobacco Quitline website or call 1-866-QUIT-YES.
[Office of the Attorney General Kwame
Raoul] |
