B.C. sees first case of illness related to vaping
Patient has recovered, but province investigating seven other possible cases
The first probable case of vaping-related illness in B.C. has been confirmed.
Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry told Postmedia News on Wednesday that the patient was a young person who had vaped a product containing nicotine. She would not say where the patient lived in B.C.
“This person had vaped nicotine products, which is important because in the United States the majority of the cases they investigated were people who had used THC-containing products,” Henry said.
THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.
Henry said the B.C. patient had recovered and been released from hospital.
“There was some concern early on that it was related to THC-containing products, but as the investigation has been going on in the U.S. and here, it’s become apparent that at least 30 per cent have not been vaping THC. We still don’t know what the cause is.”
Vaping has come under the spotlight recently, with at least 450 cases of acute vaping-related illness and 13 deaths reported in the U.S.
Last month, Henry issued a notice that required doctors to report cases in which patients had a history of using e-cigarette or vaping devices within the past 90 days, had abnormal X-ray results, and whose illnesses couldn’t be linked to other causes.
Those reports are being forwarded to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and being investigated by the public-health authority.
Henry said there are seven other B.C. cases currently subject to a detailed and intense investigation.
“These are the first cases of vaping-related illness in B.C., but we fully expect there will be more as this is quickly emerging as a significant public-health issue,” Henry said.
“Vaping is turning back the clock on decades of effective anti-smoking efforts and creating a new generation of young people addicted to nicotine.”
While officials are still studying the cause and working to determine the exact reason vape users have been suffering breathing problems, it’s believed a contaminant created during the vaporization of oils in e-cigarettes has damaging effects on lungs. It remains unclear whether the illnesses are linked to vaping nicotine cartridges or THC cartridges.