Vaping-Related Lung Injuries Surge to 805 Cases, CDC Says
Vaping-Related Lung Injuries Surge to 805 Cases, CDC Says
(Bloomberg) -- The number of vaping-related lung-injury cases has surged to 805, up from 530 reported last week, U.S. public-health officials said, as the mysterious epidemic continues to expand with no clear cause identified.
The number of deaths linked to the ailment also rose to 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday, in 10 states.
Officials haven’t identified any single product or substance responsible for causing the injuries. Much of the focus has been on devices that contain THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, as well as potential additives or cutting agents.
“We don’t know enough about the aerosol that vaping produces” and its health effects, said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, at a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Tuesday. “It may be that the process itself is risky.”
While vaping-related lung poisonings have exploded recently, there were signs early on of potential health hazards. At least 15 incidents of lung injuries linked to vaping occurred prior to this year’s epidemic, a review by Bloomberg News found. The cases — spanning the globe from Guam to Japan to England to the U.S. — include reports of mysterious pneumonia and fatal bleeding from tiny air sacs.
At the same time, the vaping industry has been thrown into turmoil amid concerns over soaring teenage use of e-cigarette products. On Wednesday, Juul Labs Inc. said its Chief Executive Officer Kevin Burns was stepping down, and that the company was effectively ending all marketing and lobbying.
To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Langreth in New York at rlangreth@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Drew Armstrong at darmstrong17@bloomberg.net, Timothy Annett, Mark Schoifet
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