U.S. health officials are investigating more than 450 cases of severe lung illnesses and at least six deaths linked to the use of electronic cigarettes, or vaping devices, in 36 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Trump administration has said that it would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, at a time when hundreds of people have been sickened by mysterious lung illnesses and teenage vaping continues to rise.
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The outbreak is still serious enough that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends for the public to abstain from using vaping products, and for those with symptoms to see a doctor. The observed symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and abdominal pain, and they’ve typically developed over a period of days or weeks.
The center said the outbreak does not seem to be caused by an infection, and the leading suspect is chemical exposure. Although no single substance or product has been pinpointed for the illnesses, most patients have said they used e-cigarettes with THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Many also said they were vaping nicotine, with or without THC.
