[ad_1]
At least a dozen people have died as a result of an acute lung condition related to a vaping. Even if officials are not willing to associate it with a chemical or brand, they warn that a large number of patients have reported purchasing THC cartridges from "informal sources". – that is to say in the street or online.
"The vast majority of patients have received their products in the street from friends or resellers," said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief epidemiologist of the Illinois Department of Health, at the University of Toronto. a call to the press today.
Unfortunately, this has also resulted in a wide variety of brands and types of cartridges and peripherals. "Of the 86 patients in our study, 234 unique e-cigarette or vaping products across 87 different brands have been reported," said Layden. More than three quarters of respondents reported THC products; only 16% of patients reported using only nicotine cartridges.
The most common brand, used by two-thirds of the patients surveyed, was "Dank Vapes". Even if products bearing this mark have not been tested yet, it is probably safer to avoid them for the moment. Studies have shown that even popular brands like Juul do not know exactly which chemicals are produced when these substances are vaporized. And a study commissioned by NBC News showed that many non-compliant cartridges contained pesticides that could form hydrogen cyanide when heated.
"We do not yet know what makes people sick," said Anne Schuchat, CDC's Senior Deputy Director. "For example, if solvents or adulterants cause lung damage or if the cases come from one or more suppliers. Due to the variety of chemicals in e-cigarettes or vaping liquids that can be added to them, as well as the variety of products in circulation, lab tests can be complex, but they are ongoing. "
The CDC, the FDA and various states and cities have taken various measures to completely ban vaping, limit sales, etc. But in many places, these sales were already illegal or had been made online so that they were difficult to detect. And of course, much of the consumption of these products is done at home or privately.
Of course, the concern is that by banning the use of vaping products, there is a risk of pushing smokers to use them for smoking, which is known to be extremely harmful. This is certainly not ideal, but if some vaping products cause immediate and serious damage to people, they should never be used, let alone stop smoking products. In the meantime, there are still proven (though perhaps less practical) methods of quitting smoking, such as nicotine gum and patches.
The various medical authorities that have investigated this outbreak, which now affects more than 800 people, are very cautious in identifying the cause, but keep the press regularly informed of new figures and any relevant information as the investigation progresses. .
[ad_2]
Source link