Public Health Recommendations
The CDC recommends that the public should consider not using any vaping products during their investigation, particularly those containing THC from informal sources like friends, family, or in-person or online dealers as of 20 November 2019. The U.S. FDA considers it prudent to avoid inhaling vitamin E acetate. On 6 Septe…
Background
- According to a systematic review article, 2019 was not the first time that vaping products have been linked to lung injury. "Initial case reports of vaping-related lung injury date back to 2012, but the ongoing outbreak of EVALI began in the summer of 2019..." At least 19 cases of vaping-associated pulmonary injuries had been reported worldwide prior to 2019. The first case of e-cig…
United States
- Cases involved in the outbreak of severe vaping-associated pulmonary injury were first identified in Illinois and Wisconsin in April 2019. As of 21 January 2020, a total of 2,711 hospitalized cases of lung illness associated with the use of vaping products have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two US territ…
Canada
- On 18 September 2019, a case of severe lung illness associated with vaping in Canada was reported. A high school student in Ontario needed to be put on life support. The person had been vaping every day. His health improved and he was released from the hospital. This case has not been confirmed, as 27 September 2019. He vaped intensively, adding THC to his devices. He init…
Other Countries
- What has occurred in the United States has not occurred in other places where vaping is frequent, such as the UK.In European countries such as France, there is no evidence of an outbreak of the vaping-associated lung illness that occurred in the US.
Investigation
- Investigators from multiple states in the US are collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration(US FDA) to determine the cause of the lung illnesses associated with the use of vaping products. On 6 September 2019, Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, serving as the incident manager of CDC's response to this outbreak, said that "…
Illicit Vaping
- Inhalation of chemicals or substances is considered to be the main cause of the lung illnesses. Counterfeit cannabis cartridges are being sold to users at a reduced cost. Dank Vapes is an illicit brand that uses a cartridge. There is no singular company that owns Dank Vapes; there have been hundreds of people selling Dank Vapes cartridges. Dank Vapes appears to be the most promine…
Legal Proceedings
- Subpoenas
In September 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo instructed the state health department to issue subpoenas against three sellers of thickening agents used in illicit vaping products. The subpoenas are being served against Honey Cut Labs in Santa Monica, California, for its Honey C… - Criminal cases
On 5 September 2019, Tyler Huffhines and Jacob Huffhines were arrested. Search warrants were served on a house at their place of residence and at a leased condominium. In September 2019, an investigation in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, is underway to determine whether a major opera…
Responses
- E-cigarette industry
The e-cigarette industry is placing the blame on illicit vaping liquids for the lung injuries. "Each day of this crisis brings more evidence that street vapes containing THC or other illegal drugs are responsible for these illnesses, not nicotine vaping products," said Gregory Conley of the Americ… - United States
The CDC recommends that people should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, particularly from informal sources like friends, or family, or in-person or online dealers. Until the relationship of vitamin E acetate and lung health is better understood, vitamin E acetate sho…
Hospitalized Patients
- News media featured hospitalized lung vaping illness patients in narratives including the following: 1. Dehydration from nausea, multifocal pneumonia, sepsis, acute respiratory failure with hypoxemia, and blood clots, necessitating a medically induced comaand removal of fluid from the lungs. 2. Vomiting, coughing up blood, and lipid pneumonia 3. Nausea, chest pains, shortness o…