US health officials warn against vaping as lung illnesses spike

US health officials have urged people not to use e-cigarettes amid an investigation into severe lung illnesses linked to vaping.

At the beginning of September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of cases of respiratory illness

under investigation more than doubled to 450 across 33 states, as regulators continue to voice alarm about the use of ecigarettes and their prevalence among teens.

The agency said it has not traced the illnesses to a particular product or substance, but said they are probably associated with “chemical exposure”. Many patients admitted using products containing THC, which is found in cannabis, while some reported using both THC and nicotine products, the CDC said.

A smaller group reported using only nicotine-containing products.

“While this investigation is ongoing, people should consider not using e-cigarette products,” the CDC said. “We are leaving no stone unturned in following any potential leads and we’re committed to taking appropriate actions as the facts emerge,” said Ned Sharpless, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The warning comes after several states reported deaths that officials say may have been caused by vaping. In Illinois, officials said that a person who recently used an e-cigarette died in hospital of severe respiratory illness, the first such death reported in the US.

Since then, health officials have disclosed three additional deaths, in Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota. The Los Angeles County department of public health said on Friday that it is investigating one case there. Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, threatened to call for Sharpless’s resignation if he “doesn’t take action in the next 10 days”, referring to the spread of vaping illnesses as an “epidemic”.

“Our nation is in the midst of a public health crisis that could have been avoided if the FDA had acted at any point over the past 10 years to properly regulate e-cigarettes and the accompanying kid-friendly flavours and products,” Durbin wrote in a letter to Sharpless.

The growing e-cigarette market is under heightened scrutiny as regulators probe illnesses and use of the devices among young people.

The FDA said it knew of 127 reports of seizures or other neurological symptoms, but officials have yet to determine if there is a direct correlation to vaping.

In 2018, it ordered five ecigarettes providers to submit plans to reduce teen vaping. This summer, the FDA launched an ad campaign aimed at teens.

The share price of Altria Group, which has a 35% stake in e-cigarette maker Juul, are down more than 11% in 2019.