Los Angeles County resident dies of lung illness, fifth U.S. death
possibly tied to vaping
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[September 09, 2019]
By Manas Mishra and Brendan O'Brien
(Reuters) - A Los Angeles County resident
has died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping, bringing the total
number of such U.S. deaths to five, health officials said on Friday.
Officials are warning against e-cigarette use as the exact cause of any
link between vaping and the lung condition remains unknown.
The unidentified person was described as an older adult who had chronic
underlying health conditions and was one of 12 cases of people in Los
Angeles County experiencing severe and sudden lung disease after a
history of vaping, said Muntu Davis, the heath officer of the Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health.
"Our recommendation ... is that if you don't have to vape, don't do it
right now. There really is a lot of unknowns. There is a lot of
information that needs to be gathered," he said during a news
conference.
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Deaths have also been confirmed in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and
Oregon, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said
on Friday. In addition, the agency is probing 450 cases of lung illness
that may have been caused by e-cigarette use around the country.
The CDC said the total count of confirmed cases of illness linked to
vaping remained at 215, the same as its update last month, but a number
of other cases of lung illnesses remained under investigation.
Staff from health agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), said they have not linked the illnesses to any
specific e-cigarette product or any particular substance in the
e-cigarettes.
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Vaping products are displayed for sale in a shop in Manhattan in New
York City, New York, U.S., February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar
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The FDA said on Friday many of the samples tested by the states or
by the agency as part of the investigation contain
tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), the psychoactive component of
cannabis. Most of those samples with THC tested also contained
significant amounts of Vitamin E acetate, the agency said.
"Consumers are urged to avoid buying vaping products on the street,
and to refrain from using THC oil or modifying/adding any substances
to products purchased in stores," the FDA said in a statement.
The CDC said no evidence of infectious diseases has been identified
and therefore the lung illnesses are likely associated with a
chemical exposure.
"Something has to be done. There's not enough regulation. There's
not enough action taken by our politicians," said Tim Johnson during
a news conference in Illinois on Thursday after his daughter fell
ill with a lung illness believed to have been caused by vaping. "We
may have dodged a bullet with our daughter."
E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional
cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, according
to the World Health Organization. But the long-term health effects
of vaping are largely unknown.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Brendan O'Brien in
Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio, Chris Reese and Richard Chang)
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