Health professionals urge people to stop vaping as lung illnesses and deaths climb
KTTC
by Linda Ha
Health officials have launched a multi-state investigation into the rapidly growing number of vaping-related illnesses that have put otherwise healthy people in the hospital with lung diseases. “It’s really scary because we don’t know what the cause is so we don’t know how to prevent it other than to tell people you shouldn’t vape,” said Dr. Taylor Hays, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at Mayo Clinic.
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Additional coverage:
KIMT, Mayo Clinic Director of Nicotine Dependence Center expresses concern about e-cigarettes
Post-Bulletin, Lung exert says vaping illness could leave permanent injury
Brainerd Dispatch, Owatonna People’s Press
Context: With possible vaping-related deaths dominating news headlines, there is an increased concern on its effects and associated lung illnesses. Health officials are worried that there is a possible connection between vaping and a number of multi-state deaths that have occurred in the United States. While it’s not necessarily clear what is causing the lung damage, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention has issued a warning to discontinue vaping pending further investigation into the surge of lung-related deaths.
As Director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at Mayo Clinic, Dr. J. Taylor Hays has voiced similar concerns with vaping. "The key thing for people to know is vaping is not water vapor. It is a complex solution of chemicals that have been changed from their original state because they’ve been heated to high temperatures. And although these components are considered safe for ingestion, the flavorings like cinnamon, the vehicles like vegetable glycerin, they are not safe for heating and inhaling because the chemical constituents have changed." You can learn more from Dr. Hays on Mayo Clinic News Network.
Contact: Emily Blahnik
Tags: Dr. Taylor Hays, KTTC, Nicotine Dependence Center at Mayo Clinic, Uncategorized, Vaping