CDC Investigation Ties Presence of Vitamin E in THC to Start of Vaping Injuries

Federal health officials uncovered that the presence of a vitamin E in THC vaping liquids may be cause of thousands of lung illnesses spanning across the nation.

On November 27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) indicating their suspicions on the cause for the massive U.S. vaping illness epidemic. According to officials’ detailed data summary, vaping illnesses were not a problem until vitamin E acetate started showing up in samples of THC liquids used in e-cigarettes.

As of November, over 2,200 cases of vaping lung illnesses have been reported in the United States, including the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. All states except Alaska have reported cases of vaping lung illnesses, which the CDC has recently renamed as e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). The CDC also reported that 48 patients have died from their EVALI injuries.

In this recent CDC report, data provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) showed those who became ill had traces of vitamin E in their lung fluid. Vitamin E is a common product found in food, cosmetics, lotions, and supplements. While it is typically considered harmless, little data exists about how vitamin E impacts the respiratory system when it is heated and inhaled through vaping.

For comparison, researchers analyzed THC vaping products seized by authorities in 2018, before the vaping epidemic started. Health officials found no traces of vitamin E in these samples. However, every THC product seized by officials in 2019 during the vaping illness outbreak contained vitamin E acetate. The CDC indicates that patients with EVALI primarily obtained their THC vaping products from secondhand, informal, or illicit sources

As they continue to investigate, the CDC calls for manufacturers and the public to not add vitamin E acetate to vaping or e-cigarette products.

Vaping Illness Epidemic and Lawsuits

EVALI cases were first reported by health officials in early August in Illinois and Wisconsin. Professionals found that the only factor linking these cases was e-cigarette use, spurring a nationwide investigation. Since August, thousands of EVALI cases have been uncovered across the United States.

In recent months, e-cigarettes have come under intense scrutiny not only for their role in lung injuries, but in the youth vaping epidemic. Vaping is the most popular form of nicotine use in the United States, with 1 in 5 high school students admitting to using vaping products.

With the influx of e-cigarette use, teens and young adults are now discovering that their severe nicotine addictions may be tied to their use of specific vaping products. JUUL Labs, creators of the JUUL e-cigarette, has recently come under fire the severely high levels of nicotine in their JUUL pods, which are the most popular vaping products in the U.S. Lawsuits across the country are now alleging that JUUL not only knowingly sold a highly addictive product without adequately warning the public, but they aggressively marketed their products to minors.

Growing numbers of JUUL injury lawsuits have now been filed in courts nationwide, young adults and parents of injured teens seeking justice for their e-cigarette injuries.

E-Cigarette Injury Lawsuits

If you were injured by your use of e-cigarettes or developed a severe nicotine injury after your e-cigarette use, you need to talk to a lawyer today. E-cigarette manufactures are being called out for neglecting to warn the public about the dangers of using vaping products, and may be entitled to compensation for their negligence. Contact the legal professionals at the McGartland Law Firm today to learn about your legal rights.