Now Vaping of any Type is potentially deadly

[Charon]

Last updated on August 23, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. ET

Posted on August 23, 2019, at 3:28 p.m. ET

Mike Blake / Reuters
Illinois officials reported on Friday that a patient with severe lung damage linked to vaping has died, the latest news in an outbreak likely affecting more than 190 people nationwide.

“The severity of illness people are experiencing is alarming and we must get the word out that using e-cigarettes and vaping can be dangerous,” said Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Public Health in a statement on the death.

CDC officials upped the number of possible cases in the outbreak to 193 patients on Friday, up from 153 reported earlier in the week. Illinois officials have not released the name, age, or gender of the person who died, saying only that the person is an adult.

“The cases are similar and appear related to e-cigarette use,” the CDC’s Ileana Arias said at a news briefing. She stressed the link to vaping was still a potential one in many cases, not confirmed.

Another CDC official, Brian King, deputy director of the Office on Smoking and Health, suggested that it is possible similar injuries have gone unreported in past years and the current glare of publicity is only now bringing attention to lung injuries related to vaping.

The outbreak of severe lung injuries linked to vaping started at the end of June and has spread to 22 states, largely among teens and young adults. The hospitalized patients reported difficulty breathing and chest pains, some requiring ventilators to breathe.

The cause of the outbreak is a mystery, but does not seem tied to an infectious disease. Many of the patients reported vaping oils containing THC, the marijuana ingredient that gets you high, just before the symptoms started. Investigators are looking at the vaping oils used by patients, as well as the types of devices they used, according to FDA official Mitch Zeller.

“We find ourselves at the early stage of the investigation just piecing together the facts,” said Zeller, asking for patience. “We are at times reliant on case reporting that is incomplete.”

For the last decade, public health officials have worried vaping nicotine would lead users to turn to cigarettes. A related debate has raged over the concentration of toxic chemicals in vaping fumes, ones created by the high temperature that e-cigarettes require to aerosolize oils.

UPDATE
August 23, 2019, at 4:00 p.m.
This post has been updated with new outbreak numbers from the CDC and comments from a briefing on those updates.



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hxxps://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/vaping-death-lung-injury-outbreak

[Undermedicated]

I’m curious to know if these cases are more related to vaping like nicotine vape juice or vaping contaminated thc vape cartridges. I’ve seen a lot of the black market thc carts that have been tested and have all kinds of pesticides and heavy metals in them which obviously can’t be good for you. I’m sure it’s probably similar with cheap nicotine vape juice from China that contain all kinds of bad stuff.

I don’t have enough knowledge on the subject but I would think if your vaping anything it should be from a regulated and tested source so atleast you know your not vaping pesticides and heavy metals and I would think that’s still healthier than smoking cigarettes.

I guess we really won’t know until a lot more testing has been done in vaping. I just can’t imagine it would be worse than a cigarette though. But like I said I have very little knowledge on the subject.

[Slick]

I tried vaping when I was trying to quit smoking.  I found it to be nasty!!  I'm a long time smoker and had to quit due to other health issues and the vaping thing is like drawing damp air into your lungs after a few uses,  Plus it did nothing to help me stop smoking.  I would NOT recommend it to any one.  Even if it is for the flavor and not the nicotine.  I see NO advantage and several problems with it!!  Just my 2-cents worth!!

Slick 

[Chinchillin777]

My understanding is that almost all of these cartridges contain polypropylene glycol as a solvent medium. Under normal circumstances, this volatile, relatively non toxic substance allows the active ingredient to become aerosolized at a relatively low temperature. The issue seems to be that while polypropylene glycol is present in many food, health supplies, and cosmetics - with a proven track record of relative safety - the same longitudinal data does not exist for the chemical via intentional concentration & inhalation.

Hence the “popcorn lung” concerns that are becoming an ever greater topic among news media and physicians. It’s important to point out the difference between vaping a pure (solventless) extract of THC or cannabis that must be physically heated with a separate device to produce vapor, and such “prepackaged” solutions containing a cartridge of some kind coupled with a heating device, most often seen in the context of disposable/refillable “vape pens”. While I know of no evidence suggesting the danger of vaping pure, medical grade extracts that are NOT  “prepackaged” in a cartridge form, I know there are many doctors and health professionals who are beginning to see the effects of chronic exposure to vaporized polypropylene glycol... I avoid that stuff like the plague lol

[Peony13]

I wonder if this outbreak is due to some new substance in the e-cigs, or to the cumulative effects of something that has been around for a while. I also wonder what other sorts of commonalities between the ill people there may be -- brands of e-cigs? Frequency of use?

[mxray]

Your lungs are so precious and so important don’t do anything to  compromise the way they are supposed to work.  I’ve been an x-ray technologist for over 23 years and nothings worse than seeing the damage caused by people smoking and vaping and things no fault of their own like  abestos.  To see them struggle every day for a breath of air it’s just really sad. I used to smoke for 23 years and finally quit I just hope I quit in time.

[Danny]

Personally it has let's me breath easier. I mean when I smoked cigarettes I was wheezing all the time and also had a hacking cough but as soon as I started vaping why wheezing stoped and I could breath again. I mean vaping may not be good for you but it's got to be better than smoking. And if you investigate into the people who had illnesses many of them include people who had also used black market thx vape pens

[Chinchillin777]

Has anyone heard of any negative implications from using solvent-less, heat-based (around 300-375 degree air) vapor production - such as seen with the Volcano vaporizer?

To my knowledge, this device (the volcano vaporizer) is the only device approved/endorsed by Health Canada for the legal consumption via inhalation of medical cannabis, as it does not burn the cannabis in question, only heating the herbs enough to release the active cannabinoids, leaving the plant matter, resin, etc. within the “spent” chamber.

No studies have conclusively proved a carcinogenic effect from inhalation of pure cannabis vapor, produced in this way, via heating alone, as the typical concerns regarding combustion of any plant material (tobacco, cannabis, etc.) do not apply in this case.

From this I would extrapolate (as I suggested in an earlier post on this thread) that those being harmed in “epidemic” waves, and suffering serious lung dysfunction that appears to be far worse even than conventional tobacco smoking must be employing the use of some pre-packaged vaporizing “pen” containing a cartridge of volatile liquid solvent, in which the active ingredient(s) are imbued in. The advantage to this is that the amount of heat/energy/battery power required to cause the “liquid” to reach it’s boiling point and being to evaporate, producing vapor.

If I am wrong in this assumption and anyone knows of any conclusive proof that the Volcano brand vaporizer, or any similar vaporizer that works with the principle of 300+ degree airflow, rather than low-temp heating of volatile solvents, PLEASE let us all know!

I own a volcano vaporizer myself, and several of my friends have portable variants of it/other, cheaper, but similar devices, thus I have a vested interest in my own safety as well as those around me. If there is even a remote chance that this form of heat produced vapor could somehow permanently damage the lungs in a way that is far worse than the combustion(smoking) of cannabis, I will never use a vaporizer again.
That being said, I still suspect the problem lies in the “inactive” ingredient(s) of the vape pens/units, and I will continue using my device unless I hear or see evidence otherwise. Still a concerning thread that makes me want to see some scholarly articles/studies to put my anxious mind at ease...

[IceWizard]

My buddy had one of those waaay back and I've never heard any bad about them in the least ...

I would think that they are MUCH safer than inhaling all those oils and solvents as it only
allows the vapors to be inhaled .... It also released absolutely NO smell ,, To me that's just another plus..

In my humble opinion, I would recommend this apparatus above and beyond ANY newfangled devise
they push nowadays ... It is also much much more efficient ...

Chinchillin777 , I appreciate your vast knowledge ... Believe me, it does/will come in mighty handy

Ice

[Peony13]

I have never heard of this high-temperature device before, Chincillin777. The fact that is it certified in Canada is a very good sign of its safety. Thanks for bring it to our attention. Also, love your name and avatar! Do you (or did you ever) own a chinchilla?