As Deaths Related To Mysterious Vaping-Linked Lung Illness Continue To Climb, Here’s What You Need To Know

The New York Times: What You Need To Know About Vaping-Related Lung Illness
Hundreds of people across the country have been sickened by a severe lung illness linked to vaping, and a handful have died, according to public health officials. Many were otherwise healthy young people, in their teens or early 20s. Investigators from numerous states are working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration in an urgent effort to figure out why. Here’s what we know so far. (Richtel and Grady, 9/7)

The New York Times: Cases Of Vaping-Related Lung Illness Surge, Health Officials Say
Medical experts and federal health officials on Friday warned the public about the dangers of vaping and discouraged using the devices as the number of people with a severe lung illness linked to vaping more than doubled to 450 possible cases in 33 states and the number of deaths rose to five. The Indiana Department of Health announced the third death on Friday, and hours later, officials in Minnesota confirmed that a fourth person had died. (Richtel and Grady, 9/6)

The Washington Post: Vaping Lung Damage: What We Know About The Mysterious Illnesses
Patients typically experienced coughing, chest pain or shortness of breath before their health deteriorated to the point they needed to be hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other reported symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and weight loss. Many victims have ended up with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs and prevents the oxygen people’s bodies need to function from circulating in the bloodstream. (Knowles, 9/7)

The Associated Press: US Health Officials Report New Vaping Deaths, Repeat Warning
U.S. health officials on Friday again urged people to stop vaping until they figure out why some are coming down with serious breathing illnesses. Officials have identified about 450 possible cases, including as many as five deaths, in 33 states. The count includes newly reported deaths in California, Indiana and Minnesota. (Stobbe, 9/6)

The Washington Post: Lung Illness Tied To Vaping Has Killed 5 People As New Case Reports Surge
Although federal and state officials said the definitive cause of the illness remains unknown, “the severity of the illness and the recent increase in the incidence of this clinical syndrome indicates that these cases represent a new or newly recognized and worrisome cluster of pulmonary disease related to vaping,” according to a report by health department officials in Wisconsin and Illinois, who conducted a joint investigation of 53 patients. (Sun, 9/6)

The Wall Street Journal: People Urged To Stop Vaping Following More Deaths, Hundreds Of Illnesses
“While the investigation is ongoing, people should consider not using e-cigarette products,” the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in a news release. The agency also said people should stop buying vaporizers, cartridges and liquids off the street or modifying vaping products bought legally. (Abbott and Maloney, 9/7)

Politico: Feds: Best To Stop Vaping — Especial Marijuana — As Lung Disease Deaths Rise To 5
Late Friday, the FDA said it had tested enough samples containing THC to issue a recommendation that vaping product users avoid any product containing the chemical, which is the psychoactive component of marijuana. Most of the samples contain large amounts of vitamin E. While the FDA isn't sure that vitamin E is a cause of the lung injury, "the agency believes it is prudent to avoid inhaling this substance" while federal investigations continue. (Owermohle and Ehley, 9/6)

KQED: CDC Says Number Of Possible Cases Of Vaping-Related Lung Illness Has Doubled
Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said in Friday's briefing that the agency now had 120 samples of e-cigarettes available for testing and that "no one substance or compound, including vitamin E acetate, has been identified in all the samples tested." Zeller said the FDA is analyzing samples for a broad range of substances, including nicotine, THC and other cannabinoids, along with cutting agents, diluents, additives, pesticides, opioids, poisons and toxins. (Neel, 9/8)

PBS NewsHour: After 3 Deaths, CDC Says To Stop Using E-Cigarettes
CDC officials on Friday released criteria to help physicians identify cases of pulmonary disease linked to e-cigarette use. Patients who used e-cigarettes in the last 90 days, had abnormalities in chest x-rays but showed no sign of infection, along with no medical record of other possible diagnoses, could be considered confirmed cases, according to the latest CDC guidance. Some patients reported that symptoms developed after a few days, while others said they noticed symptoms weeks after, the CDC said. (Santhanam, 9/6)

Reuters: Los Angeles County Resident Dies Of Lung Illness, Fifth U.S. Death Possibly Tied To Vaping
A Los Angeles County resident has died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping, bringing the total number of such U.S. deaths to five, health officials said on Friday. Officials are warning against e-cigarette use as the exact cause of any link between vaping and the lung condition remains unknown. (9/6)

The Hill: California Reports Fifth Death Due To Vaping-Related Lung Illness 
“Nationwide, we are learning how dangerous these devices may be, and the long-term health impacts remain unknown at this time,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a written release. “We are compelled to warn our 10 million residents that the risks of using these devices, with or without nicotine, marijuana, CBD or some street concoction, may now include severe lung injury.” (Campisi, 9/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: Lung Disease Tied To Vaping On The Rise; 5 Killed, 1 In L.A.
California is reporting 57 suspected cases, up from 24 two weeks ago, according to the state public health department. One death was reported Friday in Los Angeles County. Doctors in San Francisco have treated a “handful” of patients, a UCSF radiologist said. (Allday, 9/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Parents, Schools Mobilize Against Teen Vaping: ‘We Have Quite A Fight Ahead Of Us’
His high school friends would inhale the sweet or minty vapor from their Juul and joke about how close society came to convincing kids to stay away from cigarettes, said one San Francisco teenager. No one smoked regular cigarettes anymore, said the now college student, who asked not to use his real name because using e-cigarettes is illegal for someone his age. But then they discovered Juul, a vaping device filled with a nicotine-based liquid. (Tucker, 9/7)

The Hill: Five Things To Know About The Deadly Vaping Illnesses
Some patients reported using e-cigarette products that only contained nicotine, while others reported using both. In New York, health officials reported that all 34 people who have become ill said they used at least one vape containing cannabis, while some said they also vaped nicotine. In North Carolina, five lung disease patients said they vaped THC, and three also vaped nicotine. And in Wisconsin, 89 percent of the patients interviewed by health officials said they had vaped THC. (Hellmann, 9/7)

The Oregonian: E-Cigarette Deaths Climb As Officials Confirm Some Illnesses Caused By Oil In Lungs From Vaping Marijuana 
At least four people have died after using e-cigarettes and about 450 possible cases of severe lung diseases are now under investigation -- more than doubling the breadth of the mysterious illness that has gripped the country, federal health officials announced Friday. The cases have spread to 33 states, most related to people vaping marijuana products, officials said. Oregon has reported one of the deaths, that of a middle-age resident who fell ill in July after vaping oils with THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. The state has reported no other vaping-related lung illnesses. (Zarkhin, 9/8)

Miami Herald: CDC Study Links Lung Disease Outbreak To Vaping
Courtney Coppola, director of [Florida's] medical marijuana program, said she is still reviewing the report but urges patients to be wary and report any negative reaction to vaping their medication.“As these investigations continue to develop it is important that patients consult with their qualified marijuana ordering physician on the safest route of medical treatment, and immediately seek medical assistance if they experience respiratory distress,” she wrote in an email. (Gross, 9/6)

The CT Mirror: Three More Cases Of Mysterious Lung Disease Reported In Connecticut
Three additional Connecticut residents have been hospitalized with a severe lung disease that could be linked to vaping or vaping products, the state’s department of public health said Friday. Altogether, the state has logged five cases of the illness. All of the patients became sick in July and August and have since been released from the hospital, the department said. (Carlesso, 9/6)

Stat: Pneumonia Cases Linked To Vaping Are Still Rising. And Federal Officials Don’t Know What’s Causing Them
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rising number of cases of mysterious pneumonias linked to vaping on Friday. Now, the agency reports 450 people from 33 states and one U.S. jurisdiction have been affected. Three deaths have been confirmed, authorities said, and another is being investigated. (Branswell, 9/6)

Bloomberg: Lung Injuries Tied To Cannabis Vaping Products, CDC Says
The rapid emergence of the mysterious lung illnesses has raised some concerns about the still-developing e-cigarette and legal marijuana industries. Investors have poured billions of dollars into numerous companies in both sectors, including the richly valued e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc., which has been criticized for its marketing practices. (Edney and Giammona, 9/6)

PBS NewsHour: Deaths Linked To Vaping Reveal A Complex Array Of Inhaled Substances
Following several mysterious deaths linked to vaping, the federal government is now warning Americans not to use e-cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control also said there are 450 reported cases of lung illnesses tied to vaping, in more than 30 states. (Brangham, 9/6)

Politico Pro: Durbin: Sharpless Should Ban E-Cig Flavors Or Resign
Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless needs to take a stronger stance on e-cigarettes and teen vaping within ten days or resign his post, the second-ranking Senate Democrat said today. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), whose state has confirmed one death and at least 41 other potential cases of vaping-related lung illness this summer, wrote to Sharpless urging him to immediately ban all flavored vapes and unapproved e-cigarette devices. (Owermohle, 9/6)

Boston Globe: Are Marijuana Vapes From Licensed Stores Safe? Mass. Lacks Regulations On Additives
As they scramble to pinpoint the source of a mysterious outbreak of life-threatening lung ailments related to vaping, federal health officials have focused their suspicions on additives used in illicit marijuana vaporizer cartridges. But in Massachusetts, the state’s otherwise-strict cannabis regulations impose no oversight on additives in regulated marijuana cartridges sold in licensed stores. (Adams and Martin, 9/6)

The Washington Post: Why More Ex-Smokers, And Smokers, Should Take CT Lung Cancer Test
The warnings are old hat by now: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking causes about 1 in 5 deaths in the United States each year. Despite nationwide decreases in smoking over the decades, lighting up remains the country’s leading cause of preventable disease. Luckily, writes Indiana University medical professor Richard Gunderman, there’s a test that can save smokers’ lives, even among those who have been on cigarettes for years. It’s CT lung cancer screening, and Gunderman makes a case for the tool at the Conversation, a not-for-profit media outlet. (Blakemore, 9/7)