After the death of an Illinois resident hospitalized for an unknown respiratory illness linked to vaping — the first in the country since a rash of hospitalizations across many states — public health officials say they still are trying to identify what ingredients or products are responsible.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that an adult resident died earlier this month, but would provide no further identifying details, or circumstances surrounding the death. The patient was one of nearly 200 across the country hospitalized between late June and this week with symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath and fatigue, and who reported using e-cigarettes, health officials said. In Illinois, the health department is investigating 22 of these cases, and possibly 12 more. The patients are between 17- and 38-years-old, and some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assisting in the investigation in Illinois to try to identify a link among those hospitalized. The Food and Drug Administration is also testing products to determine what ingredients in vaping products could have contributed to the illness.
On Friday afternoon state and federal health officials stressed they still don’t know if patients experiencing symptoms used the same products, or if they contained nicotine or THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana that gives the high sensation, or other ingredients. E-cigarettes, or vapes — popular among teens — heat liquid that often contains nicotine or THC, as well as ingredients used for flavoring. Users then inhale the vapor.
While it’s still unclear what the exact product link is among the cases, e-cigarettes contain “a variety of harmful ingredients,” said Brian King, deputy director in the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. This can include metals such as lead and cancer-causing chemicals used in flavoring, which are “all known as harmful to lungs but haven’t been specifically linked to the current cases.”
“We find ourselves in the early stages of these investigations and are trying to piece together the facts,” added Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products. “We need to get to the bottom of every single case.”
Dr. Jennifer Layden, IDPH chief medical officer and state epidemiologist, said while Illinois patients reported using THC, officials have yet to determine a common source, and did not have a breakdown of those hospitalized after vaping with THC versus nicotine.
The American Vaping Association on Friday blamed “black market, amateur-made” products infused with THC, not nicotine, for the deaths, but public health officials couldn’t confirm. The association “advocates for sensible regulation of vaping products,” according to Gregory Conley, its president.
“Each day of this crisis brings more evidence that street vapes containing THC or other illegal drugs are responsible for these illnesses, not nicotine vaping products,” Conley said in a statement. “It is incredibly irresponsible for media outlets and health authorities to continue to focus on vaping products generally when we know that tainted, black market THC products remain on the streets.”
But medical experts have long warned about the practice of vaping, especially for teens. Despite a downward trend in tobacco use among young people, vaping is on the rise and has become popular among teenagers in recent years. With the recent rash of hospitalizations, health officials reinforced warnings to parents and teens about the dangers of vaping.
Medical and addiction experts say the products are easier for teens to hide, and in turn, easier to inhale more nicotine than they might smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. And a recent study published this week showed even vapors that don’t contain nicotine or THC can do damage by reducing blood flow after just one puff.
“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,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement released Friday.
Those hospitalized in Illinois were reported in Chicago, as well as in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, and downstate in Champaign, Madison, Peoria and St. Clair counties.
Those experiencing chest pain or difficulty breathing after using e-cigarettes or vaping in the weeks or months prior to having the symptoms should seek medical attention, officials warned. And health care providers with patients experiencing an unexpected, serious respiratory illness should ask about a history of vaping. More information is available on the health department website.
Juul Labs, a company that produces e-cigarettes, has also come under fire for allegations of trying to lure teen users with fruity flavors and other marketing tactics. A 20-year-old Cook County woman, Anastasia Quercia, filed suit Thursday in federal court against Juul, Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris parent company Altria Group (which also owns 35% of Juul), accusing the companies of marketing to young people. The lawsuit came days after a Cook County teen filed a lawsuit making similar allegations, but that suit was voluntarily dismissed.
The Lake County state’s attorney’s office sued Juul earlier this month, accusing the company of targeting teens with deceptive marketing practices. The company also faces lawsuits in other states.
