Vaping Deaths Rise to Thirteen
ATLANTA, Ga. — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the number of cases of lung illness caused by vaping increased by 52% over a seven-day period, according to Forbes Magazine. The death toll continues to increase as well. At least thirteen people are now confirmed dead because of the damage vaping caused to their lungs. Almost inexplicably, the CDC said that no one chemical or particular vaping product is responsible for the illnesses. Because of the enigmatic nature of the vaping illnesses, the CDC mobilized an emergency response team, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a criminal probe into the epidemic that has nearly touched every state in the Union.
Information about the vaping disease and the number of people falling ill seems to change daily. When Forbes issued its report, 805 people total had illnesses attributed to vaping. A week prior, the highwater mark was at 530. The difference week-over-week is approximately 52%.
The most recent vaping deaths have occurred in the southeast region of the country. Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida recorded the first vaping deaths in those states. North Carolina registered the thirteenth vaping death in the U.S.
Many of the people who got sick used THC-infused vaping products, but not all. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Other people said they used nicotine vaping products and did not use THC vaping materials when they fell ill. Thus, researchers are having a difficult time drawing a line to one product or chemical found in vaping materials to blame for starting this epidemic.
Some companies in the vaping industry filed for FDA approval of their goods before the vaping lung disease outbreak occurred. Not only is that not likely to happen now, but the industry must also combat executive actions taken by states such as New York, Michigan, and Rhode Island, as well as the city of San Francisco, who have banned flavored vaping products. Massachusetts went a step further and enacted a four-month ban on all vaping products.
