By Neil Doyle
SPRINGFIELD – A fourth person from Illinois who had recently been hospitalized with a lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products has died, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The IDPH said more than 80% of the cases in Illinois report recent use of THC-containing products, primarily obtaining them from informal sources.
“The growing number of fatalities underscores the severity of these illnesses,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We continue to work with local and federal partners to investigate the cause of this outbreak, and while recent results of lung fluid testing have provided a breakthrough in the investigation, there still may be other causes. We strongly urge people not to use e-cigarette or vaping products that contain THC, especially those obtained through informal sources like off the street or online dealers.”
Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory results of fluid collected from the lungs of 29 EVALI patients found vitamin E acetate in all of the samples. Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in the production of e-cigarette or vaping products.This is the first identification of a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries. However, while it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with EVALI, evidence is not yet sufficient to rule out other chemicals of concern.
Currently, a total of 179 people in Illinois across 32 counties have experienced lung injuries after using e-cigarettes or vaping.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
