805 illnesses blamed on vaping

WASHINGTON — Federal officials said Thursday that at least 805 people in 46 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have fallen sick with mysterious vaping-related lung injuries as the growing national outbreak stretches to virtually all of the United States.

Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states: California (two), Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (two), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Oregon.

In testimony before House panels this week, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Thursday’s update would include hundreds more cases associated with e-cigarettes or vaping on top of the 530 previously confirmed.

Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said no single e-cigarette or vaping product, brand or specific substance has been definitively linked to the outbreak. Tracking down the culprit or culprits has been challenging, she said. Patients have used many kinds of products with a wide array of ingredients, and some may have been mixed with potentially illicit substances, such as marijuana.

“Many people have used more than one product. They may have acquired them in retail stores, online or on the street,” she said.

Based on initial data from two states, officials know that most patients reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana. Many patients have reported using THC and nicotine products, and some have reported using products containing only nicotine. But officials and clinicians have said patients, particularly younger ones, are often reluctant to share information about their use of illicit substances, such as marijuana.

Many sick patients said they bought THC vape products on the black market, and those illicit products have come under increased scrutiny in the investigation. In addition to the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has disclosed that it is conducting a criminal investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Acting FDA commissioner Ned Sharpless told a House panel Wednesday that officials are not pursuing individual vapers. But if the FDA determines that “someone is manufacturing or distributing illicit, adulterated vaping products that caused illness and death for personal profit, we would consider that to be a criminal act,” he said.