U.S. Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe Of Juul; Vaping Death Toll Rises To 9
The investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office of the Northern District of California is in its early stages and the focus was not yet clear, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, officials in Kansas tied the death of a man over the age of 50 with the vaping illnesses reported around the country. Also in the news, a look at how Wisconsin health officials zeroed in on the problem and how Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is pushing federal officials to crack down on vaping products.
The Wall Street Journal:
Federal Prosecutors Conducting Criminal Probe Of Juul
Federal prosecutors in California are conducting a criminal probe into e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, escalating law-enforcement scrutiny of the startup. The investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office of the Northern District of California is in its early stages, the people said. The focus of the probe couldn’t be learned. (Maloney, 9/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
‘The Bells Start Going Off.’ How Doctors Uncovered The Vaping Crisis.
Children’s Hospital officials and Wisconsin health authorities considered the vaping threat serious enough to merit public announcement. On July 25, they held a news conference and issued an alert warning about vaping-associated lung illness. The notice started a chain of events that prompted doctors, nurses and health authorities to recognize they had hundreds of similar patients. Once authorities began to issue warnings about a new lung illness, doctors saw its shadow everywhere. In Illinois, a doctor who saw the warning from Wisconsin health authorities reached out for help. Likewise, a doctor at a Utah hospital system, told by a colleague about the alerts, notified her state’s health agency about patients. (Abbott, 9/23)
Kansas City Star:
Second Kansas Resident Dies From Mysterious Vaping Illness
A second Kansas resident has died from a mysterious vaping-related illness that has resulted in hundreds of cases nationwide. The death – this time involving a man over the age of 50 with underlying health conditions – comes less than two weeks after Kansas announced its first vaping-related fatality, a woman also over 50. The development is likely to intensify attention on vaping and e-cigarette use in the state. (Shorman, 9/23)
CNN:
Second Vaping-Related Death In Kansas Brings Nationwide Total To 9
There have been nine known deaths related to vaping in the US so far -- two in California, two in Kansas, and one in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Oregon. That's out of 530 confirmed and probable cases of lung injuries related to e-cigarettes as of September 17, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Christensen and Gumbrecht, 9/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Dick Durbin, Longtime Anti-Smoking Advocate, Turns Sights On Vaping
Five days before the Trump administration moved to ban the sale of fruit- and candy-flavored vaping products, acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless received a sharply worded letter from Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.). The message: if Dr. Sharpless didn’t move to ban the flavored products in 10 days, Mr. Durbin would publicly demand his resignation. ... Close observers say Mr. Durbin’s persistence on the issue, along with mounting evidence of death and illness associated with vaping, has long been pivotal in advancing safety issues related to tobacco and nicotine. (Burton, 9/23)
The CT Mirror:
Five Things To Know About The Rise In Vaping Illnesses
A surge of vaping-related illnesses has sent hundreds of people to hospitals across the country and resulted in eight deaths. Connecticut public health officials have asked residents to halt their use of e-cigarette products until local and federal investigations into the mysterious lung disease are complete. Some states are moving to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and President Trump has endorsed that idea on the federal level. Others are warning against buying vaping products off the street. (Carlesso, 9/23)
