U.S. doctors' group says just stop vaping as deaths, illnesses rise

By Julie Steenhuysen

 

A man uses a vape as he walks on Broadway in New York City, U.S., September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

 

(Reuters) - The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using electronic cigarettes of any sort until scientists have a better handle on the cause of 450 lung illnesses and at least five deaths related to the use of the products.

 

The AMA, one of the nation's most influential physician groups, also called on doctors to inform patients about the dangers of e-cigarettes, including toxins and carcinogens, and swiftly report any suspected cases of lung illness associated with e-cigarette use to their state or local health department.

 

The recommendation followed advice from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday for people to consider not using e-cigarette products while it investigates the cause of the spate of severe lung illnesses associated with vaping.

 

Many, but not all, of the cases have involved those who used the devices to vaporize oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis.

 

CDC officials said some laboratories have identified vitamin E acetate in product samples and are investigating that as a possible cause of the illnesses.

 

Public health experts have not found any evidence of infectious diseases and believe the lung illnesses are probably associated with a chemical exposure.

 

Megan Constantino, 36, from St. Petersburg, Florida, quit vaping six days ago after hearing reports of the illnesses and deaths related to vaping.

 

"It scared me into quitting," she said.

 

Like many users of vaping pens, Constantino picked up the device after quitting cigarette smoking three years ago, and said, "It's the hardest thing I've ever done."

 

She added, "I threw the last cartridge away. I took a picture of it and I literally cried."

 

Constantino said many people who vape have been "on pins and needles" for the investigation results, and she is concerned that the reports of a link to vaping THC may give people an excuse to ignore the warnings.

 

E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, the World Health Organization says. But the long-term health effects of vaping are largely unknown.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has faced mounting pressure to curb a huge spike in teenage use of e-cigarettes, a trend that coincided with the rising popularity of Juul e-cigarettes.

 

"We must not stand by while e-cigarettes continue to go unregulated. We urge the FDA to speed up the regulation of e-cigarettes and remove all unregulated products from the market," AMA president Dr. Patrice Harris, said in a statement.

 

Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, which advocates for cigarette smokers to switch to nicotine-based vaping devices, said the AMA should be "ashamed of themselves for playing politics with people's health and protecting the profits of drug dealers."

 

He criticized the AMA for "fearmongering about nicotine vaping products" while not mentioning "the very real risks of vaping illicit THC products."

Juul Labs declined to comment. Altria Group Inc owns a 35 percent stake in Juul.

 

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru, Bill Berkrot in New York and Chris Kirkham in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-10

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Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.

 

Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years.1,2 Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2.05 a drink.3 

 

CDC

 

Can't figure out if this is an anti-ecig effort, or an attempt to slow roll cannabis legalization? Obviously cannabis can be consumed in so many different ways, but distillate (concentrate) cartridges are popular (ease of use) right now, well not in the last two weeks.

 

There are a few issues with vaping: purity/preparation/contents of the concentrate, overuse (just watch some of these cloud videos) and the deterioration of the heating element.

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by mtls2005

Just don't vape THC like don't vape rat poison either ????

6 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Just don't vape THC like don't vape rat poison either ????

 

But but, I always hear that nobody has ever died from smoking marijuana and that it's actually the wonder medicine that heals all illnesses.

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by ThePioneer

10 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Just don't vape THC like don't vape rat poison either ????

 

Yeah, not ingesting rat poison seems like a "hot take". Thank you for this brilliant "opinion".

 

And yes, vaping THC should be done with caution, especially if your tolerance is low. THC content in vape catridges runs at 80+%.

 

4 minutes ago, ThePioneer said:

But but, I always hear that nobody has ever died from smoking marijuana and that it's actually the wonder medicine that heals all illnesses.

 

But, but, what are you talking about?

 

Death by overdose? I don't think there has been one death attributed to death by cannabis overdose? Yes, maybe one rogue coroner in LA, but that seems questionable.

 

Death by accident while consuming cannabis? Yeah. Seems likely. Ever seen someone (on Youtube of course) dabbing rosin - arguably one of the cleaner ways so smoke - with a torch? Yikes, imagine a few have self-immolated, or died when their house burned down.

 

 

That said, this thread/"controversy" seems to be more about vaping e-cig "juice"?

 

 

 

 

Yes, the AMA can recommend....just don't let the government outlaw vaping.  Adults should be allowed to decide for ourselves.  So sick of the nanny state wanting to decide what we can and can't do.

Something is going on, and it may not effect all vapers.
I smoked for most of 45 years. Switched to vaping. Became a heavy vaper, but not a cloud moron. Dropped to mid level nicotine levels. Never used cbd or juices from weird sources.
About a year ago, started getting serious respiratory problems. Quit. Went away in a few days. Went through the quit/restart process for 6 months, finally quit probably permanently a month or more ago.

Some people may be more susceptible to problems, maybe due to long term smoking, prior, or just luck of the gene draw.



Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Everything about this 'outbreak' suggests contamination- it's got all the hall marks of say chemical food poisoning.  Indeed, there is already clearly a likely cause in the shape of contaminated, black market THC oil.  We have one location (USA), and a specific cohort of people (young people, mainly males using cannabis oil).

 

Rather than just go with this very obvious line, the powers that be would rather concentrate on promoting the idea that regular vape juice is dangerous, and thus vaping too.  It's simple epidemiology really.  If it were vape juice, one would expect to see outbreaks in peer countries like the UK, and among all age groups that vape.

2 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

Something is going on, and it may not effect all vapers.
I smoked for most of 45 years. Switched to vaping. Became a heavy vaper, but not a cloud moron. Dropped to mid level nicotine levels. Never used cbd or juices from weird sources.
About a year ago, started getting serious respiratory problems. Quit. Went away in a few days. Went through the quit/restart process for 6 months, finally quit probably permanently a month or more ago.

Some people may be more susceptible to problems, maybe due to long term smoking, prior, or just luck of the gene draw.



Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

You had a virus of course.

 

We had them before we smoked, when we smoked, when we vaped, and sad to say, will have them once again even though we neither smoke or vape any longer!????

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by mommysboy

We got this thread on TV many times already but there a lot of non-believers here, probably same they deny climate change ????

Vaping bans will only contribute to bootleg juices and cause more problems due to toxins and contaminants in them. Regulate and enforce quality instead.

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Vaping bans will only contribute to bootleg juices and cause more problems due to toxins and contaminants in them. Regulate and enforce quality instead.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/michael-bloomberg-rips-fda-for-teen-vaping-epidemic/ar-AAH5fVa?li=BBnb7Kz

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/vaping-is-the-easiest-way-to-smoke-weed—but-may-be-the-most-harmful/ar-AAH2E8T

Let me know when people start dying from secondhand vaping; until then let these idiots ride the Darwin merry-go-round.

OK, this is looking to be more like an anti-ecig campaign. Amazing these articles drop and then a few days later...

 

Michael Bloomberg rips FDA for teen vaping epidemic as he pledges $160 million to the cause

 

Michael Bloomberg is slamming the FDA for contributing to the epidemic of teen vaping in the U.S. The billionaire philanthropist announced Tuesday that his non-profit, Bloomberg Philanthropies, is pledging $160 million to fund a new program aimed at ending vaping among teens. It follows a new study that found flavor was the reason most young adults said they started using e-cigarettes.

 

When asked on "CBS This Morning" whether he blames the FDA, Bloomberg said, "yes is the answer to your question."

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-bloomberg-to-spend-160-million-on-anti-vaping-campaign/

 

 

I agree that an age limit, for vaping products, which corresponds with traditional cigarette products is appropriate.

 

 

Outbreak of Lung Illness Associated with Using E-cigarette Products
 

Investigation Notice

 

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html

 

 

Now can we bring back lawn darts? If you outlaw lawn darts...

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by mtls2005

No. Quit repeatedly over a six month period. Stop for a few weeks to a month. Felt better in a few days. Started again with new gear after a few weeks to a month after discarding the previous stuff. Not cheap.
Went through this cycle 4 times or so. Within a few weeks was out of breath,again. It's been 6 weeks or more, no problems.

You had a virus of course.
 
We had them before we smoked, when we smoked, when we vaped, and sad to say, will have them once again even though we neither smoke or vape any longer![emoji3]

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4 minutes ago, NokNokJoke said:

No. Quit repeatedly over a six month period. Stop for a few weeks to a month. Felt better in a few days. Started again with new gear after a few weeks to a month after discarding the previous stuff. Not cheap.
Went through this cycle 4 times or so. Within a few weeks was out of breath,again. It's been 6 weeks or more, no problems.

 

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

What negative effects did you experience from vaping?

 

Were you short of breath, when you smoked cigarettes?

8 minutes ago, NokNokJoke said:

Went through this cycle 4 times or so. Within a few weeks was out of breath,again. It's been 6 weeks or more, no problems.

 

Man goes to a Doctor...

 

Man: It hurts when I do this

Doctor: Don't do that

 

 

E-cigs when used correctly are a great harm reduction tool according to Public Health England (PHE), and may even be beneficial to some people with serious respiratory complaints.

 

Weird that one country (UK) plays it one way seemingly to great benefit, while the USA can't help but turn it in to a crock of....

 

The spooky thing is one or the other health authority in either country is going to be wrong, and will be responsible for hundreds of thousands of needless casualties, either by recommending vaping, or by cautioning against it.  I think the smart money is on the UK being right!

 

 

30 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

E-cigs when used correctly are a great harm reduction tool according to Public Health England (PHE), and may even be beneficial to some people with serious respiratory complaints.

 

Weird that one country (UK) plays it one way seemingly to great benefit, while the USA can't help but turn it in to a crock of....

 

The spooky thing is one or the other health authority in either country is going to be wrong, and will be responsible for hundreds of thousands of needless casualties, either by recommending vaping, or by cautioning against it.  I think the smart money is on the UK being right!

 

 

I think you have to look at it relatively. Is it good for you inhaling all that stuff into your lungs, no, but probably better than cigarette smoking.

4 hours ago, stevenl said:

I think you have to look at it relatively. Is it good for you inhaling all that stuff into your lungs, no, but probably better than cigarette smoking.

Not really in all honesty.

 

'inhaling all that stuff in to your lungs' - there isn't much.

5 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

No. Quit repeatedly over a six month period. Stop for a few weeks to a month. Felt better in a few days. Started again with new gear after a few weeks to a month after discarding the previous stuff. Not cheap.
Went through this cycle 4 times or so. Within a few weeks was out of breath,again. It's been 6 weeks or more, no problems.

 

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Before all else, I would advise taking as much light exercise as you can- perhaps walking 3 times a day, you don't have to push yourself.

 

I suppose you could be mildly allergic to something in vape juice, but this is in no way related to what's happening elsewhere. 

 

More likely, however, there is also some environmental pollutant in your surroundings, and inhaling deeply as you do when you vape means that you are ingesting more than usual.  This would be particularly true if you live in say Bkk, or Chiang Mai.

 

Whether the ordinary cigs for 45 years damaged you long term is not possible to say without proper tests, you'd think so wouldn't you? But seemingly not terribly.  

 

Turn to mild exercise it will do you the world of good hopefully.

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by mommysboy

Sounds like an immediate ban on flavored e-cig juices, further study by FDA, new rules re: content, production, sales, marketing.

 

Evidently FLOTUS got involved, "She has a son".

 

 

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Sounds like an immediate ban on flavored e-cig juices, further study by FDA, new rules re: content, production, sales, marketing.

 

Evidently FLOTUS got involved, "She has a son".

 

 

I really feel the USA is not ready for e-cigs and it's probably for the best, as it is for Thailand.

 

USA seems to have a problem with reasonable regulation.  

 

 

 

 

21 hours ago, mommysboy said:

Not really in all honesty.

 

'inhaling all that stuff in to your lungs' - there isn't much.

E-liquids usually contain propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavorings, additives, and differing amounts of contaminants.

 

Yes, not much.

6 minutes ago, stevenl said:

E-liquids usually contain propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavorings, additives, and differing amounts of contaminants.

 

Yes, not much.

 

 

As opposed to the 4,000 chemicals found in traditional cigarettes, which are marketed to children, and remain un-banned.

 

short list...carry on

 

 

Cigarettes Contain:
ACETONE – a paint stripper and in nail polish remover
AMMONIA – a potent cleaning product
ARSENIC – an ant poison
BENZENE – a toxin that in trace amounts of 10 micrograms in some bottles,
forced the 1990 recall of Perrier Water
BUTANE – a lighter fluid
CADMIUM – an element found in rechargeable batteries
CARBON MONOXIDE – a poisonous gas emitted from car exhaust
CYANIDE – a rat poison
DDT – an insecticide banned in the United States
FORMALDEHYDE – a compound used to preserve dead bodies
METHANOL – a jet fuel
METHYL ISOCYANATE – the poison responsible for killing 2,000 people
when it was accidentally released into the air in India in 1984
NAPTHALENE – the active ingredient in cigarettes, also used in insecticides
POLONIUM – a cancerous radioactive element

 

21 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

 

As opposed to the 4,000 chemicals found in traditional cigarettes, which are marketed to children, and remain un-banned.

 

short list...carry on

 

 

Cigarettes Contain:
ACETONE – a paint stripper and in nail polish remover
AMMONIA – a potent cleaning product
ARSENIC – an ant poison
BENZENE – a toxin that in trace amounts of 10 micrograms in some bottles,
forced the 1990 recall of Perrier Water
BUTANE – a lighter fluid
CADMIUM – an element found in rechargeable batteries
CARBON MONOXIDE – a poisonous gas emitted from car exhaust
CYANIDE – a rat poison
DDT – an insecticide banned in the United States
FORMALDEHYDE – a compound used to preserve dead bodies
METHANOL – a jet fuel
METHYL ISOCYANATE – the poison responsible for killing 2,000 people
when it was accidentally released into the air in India in 1984
NAPTHALENE – the active ingredient in cigarettes, also used in insecticides
POLONIUM – a cancerous radioactive element

 

Ah, cigarettes are bad, so that makes e-cigarettes good.

 

But carry on, you're proving my point " I think you have to look at it relatively. Is it good for you inhaling all that stuff into your lungs, no, but probably better than cigarette smoking. ".

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

Ah, cigarettes are bad, so that makes e-cigarettes good.

 

But carry on, you're proving my point " I think you have to look at it relatively. Is it good for you inhaling all that stuff into your lungs, no, but probably better than cigarette smoking. ".

 

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

E-liquids usually contain propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavorings, additives, and differing amounts of contaminants.

 

Yes, not much.

There's no doubt that they contain chemicals, everything does, but it's in very small amounts.

 

E-liquid does not produce the tar or carbon monoxide, which are mainly responsible for the morbidity of real cigarettes.

 

You are just expressing a hunch, based on sentiment.  I can see where you are coming from, because doing anything excessively has some sort of health outcome usually.  However, if there is a downside, say chronic throat irritation that's because of the excessive behaviour not the thing itself, which is estimated by the PHE to be 95% safer than smoking.

 

If you disagree, I suppose, you in particular, need to ask yourself why you think the major health bodies in the uk have got it so wrong?

 

Personally, I am currently neither a smoker, or e-cigarette user, but will go back to vaping again if I resettle in UK, where I can rely on the safety of the liquid.

4 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

 

There's no doubt that they contain chemicals, everything does, but it's in very small amounts.

 

E-liquid does not produce the tar or carbon monoxide, which are mainly responsible for the morbidity of real cigarettes.

 

You are just expressing a hunch, based on sentiment.  I can see where you are coming from, because doing anything excessively has some sort of health outcome usually.  However, if there is a downside, say chronic throat irritation that's because of the excessive behaviour not the thing itself, which is estimated by the PHE to be 95% safer than smoking.

 

If you disagree, I suppose, you in particular, need to ask yourself why you think the major health bodies in the uk have got it so wrong?

 

Personally, I am currently neither a smoker, or e-cigarette user, but will go back to vaping again if I resettle in UK, where I can rely on the safety of the liquid.

And you keep referring to smoking.

 

As I said, probably better than smoking, and it even may be a good way to get rid of cigarettes, but is it healthy, very likely not.

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

And you keep referring to smoking.

 

As I said, probably better than smoking, and it even may be a good way to get rid of cigarettes, but is it healthy, very likely not.

No, it could never be considered healthy because imo it irritates the airways, and contains nicotine which is a narcotic.

 

But that's a long way from declaring it unhealthy, unsafe, or whatever.  It won't cause cancer or heart problems per se.

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

Ah, cigarettes are bad, so that makes e-cigarettes good.

 

No. Of course not. Not sure how you made that leap?

 

Just highlighting the fact that cigarettes remain unbanned in the U.S., even though they appear to be a vastly larger health crisis.

 

I have no horse in this race, just find it odd that in the space of a week or so we hear reports of vaping issues, and wham, they're banned.