INDIANAPOLIS–Over 100 people in Indiana have gotten sick with the mysterious vaping illness and three Hoosiers have died. Now the CDC believes they have at least something to go on to track down what chemical is making people sick.
The culprit may be vitamin E acetate, found in some THC vaping products.
Recent CDC laboratory testing of fluid collected from the lungs from 29 patients with vaping illness, submitted to the CDC from 10 states found vitamin E acetate in all of the fluid samples.
Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in the production of e-cigarette, or vaping, products. This is the first time that we have detected a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries, said the CDC in a news release.
“There is a big difference between putting vitamin E acetate containing product on one’s skin or swallowing vitamin E pills, or inhaling,” said Dr. Ann Schuchat, deputy director of the CDC.
More than 80 percent of the samples of lung fluid tested by the CDC contained THC, which is the ingredient in marijuana that gets you high.
The CDC continues to recommend that people should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, particularly from informal sources like friends, or family, or in-person or online dealers.
The CDC also promises more updates as they find out more about what’s in the peoples’ lungs and the vaping products.
More than 2,000 people have gotten sick in 49 states. At least 39 people have died from the illness.
PHOTO: Mauro Grigollo/Thinkstock
