Over eight hundred cases of lung illnesses related to vaping and e-cigarettes are reported from across forty-six states. Twelve deaths across ten states have been attributed to e-cigarette or vaping-related lung illnesses. At least one of those deaths is said to have occurred in Mississippi.
Officials from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently testified before panels in the House of Representatives regarding the illnesses, which they say are not yet connected with any particular e-cigarette brand or vaping product. Investigating the causes of lung illness in these patients is proving to be hard for doctors because there are many products available, and a variety of ingredients are used in those products. Also, some substances like marijuana, which are legal in some states and illegal in others, are sometimes included as ingredients in vaping products and e-cigarettes.
Individuals who are suffering from lung illnesses caused by vaping and e-cigarettes want answers about why they are sick. In addition to the difficulties mentioned above, clear answers may be tough to find because many people who use e-cigarettes or vaping products have tried numerous brands and varieties of them. Vaping products and e-cigarettes come in a dizzying array of flavors, formulations, and brands, and many people who use those products enjoy sampling different products.
Some of the people who got sick after using vaping products or e-cigarettes are not willing to disclose to their doctors that they use those products or use particular varieties of those products. Some of the products that have been used by both young users and users of legal age were purchased on the black market, where ingredient lists and product descriptions may not be wholly accurate or reliable.
Despite myriad difficulties in pinpointing the cause or causes of vaping-related illnesses and deaths, the CDC says it has been able to determine that the diseases appear to be caused by some chemical exposure. Multiple chemicals may be causing the illnesses, but one likely culprit that is causing at least some of them is Vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate is an oil that is often used by manufacturers of cannabis-containing products to dilute the THC oil that the companies use to fill their cartridges. Vitamin E acetate is safe to use in topical products like skin creams, and it is safe to ingest in multivitamins or nutritional supplements. Health care professionals say the substance is not safe to inhale, and it may cause shortness of breath, chest pain, and other symptoms that correspond with the symptoms described by many of the patients reporting lung ailments in connection with e-cigarette or vape use. Samples of products taken from some of the individuals who have gotten sick from vaping or using e-cigarettes were tested by the United States Food and Drug Administration, which found Vitamin E acetate in approximately half of the product samples that contained THC.
The Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC have helped many plaintiffs and their families pursue claims for damages or losses in connection with all kinds of injuries. Call our office today, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free, initial consultation.