According to a news conference that took place this past Friday, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reported that it found a possible cause of the mysterious vaping illness. The mysterious lung disease had already reached 16 different states. However, federal health officials recently confirmed that they’ve finally established what was causing the vaping-related lung illness that afflicted thousands of people and made dozens of victims.
A couple of months ago, during July, the CDC reported that over 100 vapers had contracted a severe lung disease. All the reported cases had occurred between June 28th and August 20th, and no one had died, but that quickly changed. Just three weeks after the initial report made by the CDC, the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency reported the 7th death related to the mysterious vaping-lung illness.
But finally, during this past Friday, investigators at the CDC reported that they’ve noticed Vitamin E acetate in the lung fluids of 29 people affected by the vaping-related illness. The latest report confirms that lung fluid samples from 29 lung injury patients all contained the same chemical, Vitamin E acetate. Centers for Disease Control’s Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told reporters in a Friday news conference that the oil was found at the patients’ “primary site of injury”.
According to the CDC’s present statistics, 39 people have died so far, and over 2,000 became sick. Vitamin E acetate was already suspected to be the likely culprit since the illness was first reported. Nonetheless, we only got our first public confirmation now. The CDC’s Friday announcement proves that Vitamin E acetate was indeed one of the possible Cause of the Mysterious Vaping Illness.
The escalating number of deaths related to the use of electronic cigarettes led several municipalities and states to enact various forms of vaping bans. These vary from temporary suspensions of flavored vapes sales to permanent bans like San Francisco’s announced ban on on e-cigarette sales, but that’s not all. Just 8 months ago US President Donald Trump announced his administration would ban flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored vaping products nationwide, and the regulation is expected to rollout in the upcoming months.
CDC’s Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat never excluded the possibility of other oils making people sick during the CDC investigation, but the lab results were a “breakthrough”. Schuchat confirmed that no other toxins were detected among the affected people, assuring the public that the CDC labs tested for a wide variety of compounds, including other oils and distillates.
According to the investigation’s results, Vitamin E acetate was found in all 29 patients, including both patients that have gotten sick and recovered, and patients that died. It’s important to note that THC was also found in 23 patients.
Vitamin E acetate is found in both food and cosmetic products, but mainly in topical creams. The oil is harmless when it’s ingested or placed on the skin, but whenever it is inhaled it severely damages the lungs, causing symptoms of cough, shortness of breath and chest pain, and in higher concentrations it can cause coma, or even death.
According to older investigations led by the CDC, illicit cannabis cartridge makers were reported to use the oil (Vitamin E acetate) as a cutting agent or additive to fill up cartridges sold on the black market. At least one of the victims who was affected by the vaping-related lung illness confirmed purchasing a cartridge at a legal cannabis dispensary. Furthermore, in some cases, the oils were found to make up the majority of the oil in those cartridges.
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