Insider.com reported that doctors have no idea why vaping has caused so many severe illnesses recently. However, one physician believes he understands what lies behind nearly 200 pulmonary illness and one death from vaping or e-cigarette use. One pulmonary physician believes that formaldehyde, along with a chemical that appears in most weed-killing products, might be […]
Vape illnesses linked to formaldehyde
Insider.com reported that doctors have no idea why vaping has caused so many severe illnesses recently. However, one physician believes he understands what lies behind nearly 200 pulmonary illness and one death from vaping or e-cigarette use. One pulmonary physician believes that formaldehyde, along with a chemical that appears in most weed-killing products, might be behind the growing problem sweeping the country. However, no one is actually certain what chemicals are present in vaping pods or cartridges because there the U.S. Food and Drug does not have regulations in place. Therefore, these vaping implements might contain any number of chemicals that are hazardous to the user’s health and could be fatal.
Many people suspect that e-cigarettes and vaping are a safer alternative to inhaling or chewing tobacco products. Now that one person has died from vaping, healthcare officials are taking a much closer examination of the cigarette alternative. Some of the vaping accessories on the market today, unregulated, contain chemicals linked to throat problems and increase heart attack risks. None of those chemicals and their associated risks appear on the vaping product labels. The FDA has not passed regulations designed to address standardization among vaping and e-cigarette products. Therefore, no one is certain what is actually in these things. The lack of certain vexes medical professionals.
Since the exact ingredients in the vaping product are not known to the consumer or the treating physician, doctors are left to guess whether the lung illness symptoms marked by bouts of coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and shortness of breath are a reaction to a common chemical, or reaction to something else the user experiences while vaping.
Researchers initiated a study designed to determine why people are getting sick. However, the study will last about five years and will not provide any immediate answers. One doctor believes that chemicals such as propylene glycol, which help deliver nicotine in vapor to the user, could be one of the culprits poisoning young people’s lungs. Additionally, the presence of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, can produce allergic reactions and inflammation.
