Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Officials Blame 'Vast Majority' Of Vaping Illnesses On Vitamin E Acetate, But Don't Rule Out Other Chemicals
The Associated Press: 'Vast Majority' Of Vaping Illnesses Blamed On Vitamin E
Health officials now blame vitamin E acetate for the “vast majority” of cases in the U.S. outbreak of vaping illnesses and they say doctors should monitor patients more closely after they go home from the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the updated advice Friday. And, in a related move Friday, authorities investigating how patients obtained possibly tainted vape products said they have shut down 44 websites advertising the sale of illicit vaping cartridges containing THC. (Johnson, 12/20)
The Washington Post: Evidence Mounts That Vitamin E Acetate Is To Blame For Vaping-Related Illnesses, Deaths
The vast majority used products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. By comparison, no vitamin E acetate was found in the lung fluids of any of 99 healthy individuals in a comparison group. Those people either vaped nicotine exclusively, smoked only cigarettes or said they never smoked. Researchers also found no evidence of other potential toxins in the healthy comparison group. (Sun, 12/20)
NPR: Vaping-Related Lung Injuries Declining, As CDC Confirms Vitamin E Acetate As Main Culprit
"That doesn't mean that there aren't other chemicals that can or are causing lung injury," Schuchat said during a telephone news conference. But backed with additional data about vitamin E acetate found in lung samples from people who were injured after vaping, she attributes the bulk of the outbreak to that additive. (Harris, 12/20)
USA Today: Vaping Lung Injuries From THC Killing And Reinjuring Older Users
Vaping-related lung injuries peaked in September and are on the decline, federal officials said Friday, and the link to the additive vitamin E acetate in marijuana-based THC is growing stronger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,506 people have been hospitalized in 50 states and 54 died as of Tuesday. The CDC found an alarming new trend among lung injury patients after leaving hospitals – 31 returned to the hospital and seven died. (O'Donnell and Alltucker, 12/20)
The New York Times: Vaping Patients May Be Prone To Relapse, C.D.C. Warns
Health officials are warning doctors to more closely monitor patients with severe lung damage caused by vaping, because some have relapsed or died shortly after being sent home from the hospital. The recommendations are part of four new reports about the nationwide outbreak of severe illnesses from vaping, which has hospitalized 2,506 people and killed 54 as of Dec. 17. The reports were published on Friday, two by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and two by The New England Journal of Medicine. (Grady, 12/20)
In other news on the vaping crisis —
The New York Times: Vaping On Campus: No Parents, No Principals, A Big Problem
Gail Moody had her first e-cigarette inhale of the day moments after waking up one recent morning. She took more puffs while showering. Aerosolized nicotine filled her lungs again during a break in her morning run, between mouthfuls of lunch, and as she worked at a tobacco shop near the University of Georgia, where she is a sophomore. “Wow,” said Ms. Moody, 19, glancing at the sleek black stick in her right hand that evening. “I’m more addicted to this than I thought.” (Levin, 12/22)
The Associated Press: Montana Vape Shop Turns To Home Kits To Dodge Flavored Ban
A Montana vape store chain has announced plans to offer customers do-it-yourself vaping kits to combat the state's new temporary ban on the sale of flavored vaping products. Montana Public Radio reported Thursday that Freedom Vapes stores in the cities of Bozeman and Hamilton and the town of Belgrade are offering the workaround to help maintain business. (12/20)
Stat: New Evidence Strengthens Link Between Vitamin E Acetate, Vaping Illness
New evidence strengthens the suspected link between a substance known as vitamin E acetate and the outbreak of serious lung illnesses tied to vaping and e-cigarette use, U.S. health officials said Friday. Researchers tested lung fluid samples from 51 patients with vaping-related illness, dubbed EVALI. They found vitamin E acetate — a sticky substance used as an additive or thickening agent in some vaping products — in 48 of the samples. They didn’t find any vitamin E acetate in lung fluid taken from healthy patients, suggesting the chemical played a role in making people sick. (Thielking, 12/20)
New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Lawmakers Propose Ban On Nearly All Flavored Vaping Products
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban all flavored vaping products except for menthol in New Hampshire stores. The move follows work by a bipartisan group of lawmakers this year that raised the age for vaping and smoking to 19 and made it illegal to vape indoors. (Gibson, 12/20)
