Navigating New Lung Illness and Vaping Health Risks

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Following the increased popularity of vaping products across the United States, people young and old alike continue to fall ill with a mysterious lung disease.

There are now more than 805 cases of people being hospitalized with breathing illnesses after using e-cigarettes and other vaping devices and products. What's worse, there have been 12 deaths across 10 states that have been linked to vaping over the past 3 months.

Most of these vaping products were marketed as “safer” than cigarettes, encouraging people that didn’t smoke to start vaping under the pretense that it was safer than smoking cigarettes.

Symptoms of this “mysterious” lung disease

Individuals affected with this vaping-related lung disease have reported a variety of symptoms, and no one vaping product or brand has been specifically linked to these illnesses.

Some of the least severe and most common complications include chest pain, nausea, fever, and shortness of breath. Doctors have also reported seeing an increase in patients with severe inflammation of the lungs, bleeding of the lungs, as well as respiratory failure — with each patient having one thing in common: vaping.

According to Ann Schuchat, the principal deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tracking down the culprits has been challenging since people were exposed to a variety of vaping brands and substances.

Why they can’t pin down the culprit

By now, it seems as though they would have figured out exactly what’s causing this unknown lung injury. The problem with blaming it on a single product is that people reported:

• Using different brands of products (although JUUL was specifically mentioned)

• Purchasing from online retailers, corner stores, and medical marijuana shops. (People can purchase vaping products in many different places.)

• Using different substances (Some reported using nicotine vaping products while others used cannabis products, and even more used both cannabis and nicotine products.)

The CDC announced that when you vape, you could be exposing yourself and/or loved ones to a number of harmful substances, including:

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Ultra-fine particles
• Cancer-causing chemicals
• Lead
• Formaldehyde
• Vitamin E acetate
• Diacetyl

The main problem with these vaping-related illnesses is that we don’t know all the risks in order to warn people and are barely scraping the surface of the short term effects it has on the lungs. But judging by all the chemical additives, it’s safe to say it should be taken off the market until it’s made safe for the public.

Should you consult a vaping lung illness lawyer?

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed or hospitalized due to a vaping-related illness or have experienced some of the symptoms listed above after vaping, schedule a consultation today to take legal action immediately!

A vaping lung injury attorney will be able to inform you of your rights, help you figure out the best course of action to take and let you know if you’re eligible for compensation.