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 The House of Representatives began public hearings this week about
the mystery vaping-related lung disease that, as of last week, had
sickened 530 people in 38 states. The illness has also claimed the
lives of nine people.
"We believe that probably hundreds more (cases) have come in since
the numbers we released last week," said Anne Schuchat, principal
deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
She noted that latest-generation vaping devices use "nicotine salts"
that boost the amount of the addictive substance that reaches the
brain, presenting a particular risk to younger consumers, whose
brains are still developing.
"It feels like that's kind of vaping on steroids," said
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the subcommittee on
economic and consumer policy, as he called for further
investigation.
Schuchat emphasized that the CDC has still not identified any
specific product or compound - including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
the high-inducing component of marijuana, or Vitamin E acetate -
that is linked to all cases of the illness.
The CDC, which has activated its emergency operations center to
coordinate an investigation, has advised that people quit vaping if
they can.
A man over age 50 who used e-cigarettes died in Kansas as state
health officials prepared to join the waves of experts testifying
before Congress on Wednesday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced.
“Today, I am saddened to announce the death of a second Kansan in
association with this outbreak,” the governor said in a statement,
noting the man had underlying medical conditions.
At Tuesday's subcommittee hearing, Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois
Department of Public Health urged Congress to ban flavored vaping
products, "which are particularly targeted to young people."
On Wednesday, the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug
Administration will appear before a House Energy and Commerce
subcommittee and be asked about the public health threats of
e-cigarettes.
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For those who continue vaping, public health officials urge
consumers to avoid buying vaping products on the street, using
marijuana-derived oil with the products or modifying a store-bought
vape product.
The House Oversight Economic and Consumer Policy subcommittee's
probe began in the summer, and so far has focused on the role
e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc played in what the panel's chairman,
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, has called
a "youth vaping epidemic."
At Tuesday's hearing Representative Mark DeSaulnier, a Democrat from
California, called Juul "shameless" in terms of the amount of
information it has given to lawmakers.
In addition to Juul, in which Altria Group Inc has a minority stake,
leading makers of nicotine e-cigarettes include British American
Tobacco Plc and Imperial Brands Plc.
On Wednesday, health officials from Michigan, North Carolina, Kansas
and Massachusetts will appear before the Energy and Commerce Health
subcommittee along with Schuchat and the FDA's Norman Sharpless.
The FDA has warned Juul that it violated regulations because it
marketed its vaping products as less risky than traditional
cigarettes.
The popularity of e-cigarettes has now grown to the point where one
in four 12th-graders reported vaping a nicotine product during the
previous 30 days. It is nearly one in 10 for 8th-graders, a study
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-vaping-teens/survey-logs-big-one-year-jump-in-nicotine-vaping-among-8th-graders-idUSKBN1W32WD
by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reported last week.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by Barbara
Goldberg and Deena Beasley; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Steve
Orlofsky)
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