With the growing number of deaths resulting from vaping, the FDA and doctors are urging users to stop with new recommendations and restrictions with an aim at preventing new cases of lung-injury and death.
With the growing concern over vaping, especially with teenagers, agencies like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have put out recommendations and guidelines for companies and users.
According to the CDC there have been an increasing number of deaths and hospitalizations because of vaping.
“Sixty-eight deaths have been confirmed in 29 states and the District of Columbia…a total of 2,807 hospitalized cases or deaths have been reported to CDC,” the CDC reports.
The new regulations and concerns are stemming from an increase in e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI).
The reason for the outbreak of EVALI, according to CDC research, is linked with the additive of vitamin E acetate.
According to FDA research, vitamin E acetate has been found in samples of patient’s lung fluid as well as the THC and nicotine vape products.
“Vitamin E acetate has been found in product samples tested by FDA and state laboratory and in patient lung fluid samples tested by CDC from geographically diverse states. Vitamin E acetate has not been found in the lung fluid of people that do not have EVALI,” the FDA reports.
There is, however, no single substance that has been identified in all tested samples, and there is no single type of vape (THC or nicotine) that has been identified as a cause.
The outbreak of EVALI has primarily affected young adults and teenagers.
The New York Times reports that of the total EVALI patients, 70% were male and over 60% were between the ages of 18-34.
To combat the outbreak, many states have banned flavored vape products and some have banned vaping completely.
As of late 2019, Pennsylvania has passed new age limits with the aim of preventing young people from vaping.
The new laws prevent the sale of tobacco and vape products to anyone under the age of 21, and they will go into effect on July 1. The laws have also explicitly banned the use of tobacco products and vapes on school property.
According to Gov. Tom Wolf during a press conference, the new laws will protect teens and prevent them from partaking in vaping.
“Raising the age to 21 in combination with barring e-cigarettes at our schools will help us prevent young Pennsylvanians from engaging in this dangerous behavior,” Wolf said.
The new laws came after a study published by the Journal of American Medicine that found that more than one in five high school students reported using e-cigarettes.
Teen vaping rates have increased since 2017.
According to the New York Times, the number of high school seniors admitting to using nicotine vapes has risen from 11% in 2017 to 25% as of 2019.