Seven die of vaping-related illness

More than 20 countries have banned e-cigarettes and five more have put restrictions on their sale and use. Although they are still permitted in most of Europe and in the U.S., U.S. health officials have reported more than 530 cases of mysterious lung conditions in 33 states, according to stories in the Washington Post.

As of press time, at least seven people have died in the U.S. from vaping-related illnesses, according to various state health agencies and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. victims and patients reported using both nicotine and marijuana vaping products in the days and weeks before their illness began. Health officials have noticed a trend that points to Vitamin E acetate as the potential cause. Vitamin E acetate is a common oil used in nutritional supplements, but could be dangerous when heated and inhaled as a vapor, they said.

Physicians and health officials have published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine and described the trend as “worrisome.”

– Triton staff report