New CDC Report Out Today Makes it Even Less Likely that Store-Bought Nicotine E-Cigarettes are Playing Any Role in the Outbreak

A newreport published today in theMMWR summarizes the results of the most detailed investigation to date of cases of the outbreak of vaping-associated respiratory illness, focusing on the 83 confirmed cases occurring in the state of Utah. The key findings of the report are as follows:92% of the patients for whom product use was ascertained admitted to using THC vapes (only 3 out of 53 - 6% - did not).Of the THC products tested, 89% contained vitamin E acetate oil.No abnormalities were found in any of the nicotine e-liquids tested.The report concludes that “unregulated THC-containing cartridges play an important role in this outbreak.”Another interesting and important finding was that: " Use of three brands of prefilled THC-containing cartridges was reported frequently by patients; these included Dank Vapes (21, 40%), Rove (19, 36%), and Golden Gorilla (11, 21%). "The Rest of the StoryIt is critical to note that as the investigation progresses, the proportion of cases that are being associated with THC vaping cartridges is steadily increasing, while fewer and fewer cases are being linked to the exclusive use of nicotine-containing products.Over the last three CDC updates, the proportion of cases reporting using nicotine only has decreased from 17% to 13% to 10%. In the states that have released data in the past two weeks, the proportion of case patients who admitted to using THC is in the range of about 92% and higher. And now, in the most comprehensive investigation to da...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - Category: Addiction Source Type: blogs