FDA Identifies Contaminant Linked To Vaping Illnesses

The Washington Post reports:

State and federal health officials investigating mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping have found the same chemical in samples of marijuana products used by people sickened in different parts of the country and who used different brands of products in recent weeks.

The chemical is an oil derived from vitamin E. Investigators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the oil in cannabis products in samples collected from patients who fell ill across the United States. FDA officials shared that information with state health officials during a telephone briefing this week, according to several officials who took part in the call.

That same chemical was also found in nearly all cannabis samples from patients who fell ill in New York in recent weeks, a state health department spokeswoman said.

According to the CDC, two people have died and around 200 have been made severely ill since the issue first became known.

Experts studying deadly lung illnesses linked to #vaping are zeroing in on a contaminant, an oil derived from vitamin E, @bylenasun https://t.co/u2s4VcYaWi via @washingtonpost #ecigs

— André Picard (@picardonhealth) September 5, 2019