E-cigarette use, also known as vaping, has taken the market by storm, particularly targeting teenagers and young adults. In Illinois alone, we have seen 52 cases of vaping related lung disease including one death. These young people are finding themselves in Intensive Care Units, often intubated for their very breath. And the future? Doctors are still unsure if their lung capacity will be forever compromised.
Manufacturers, including JUUL, have been using false and deceptive marketing and advertising, specifically targeting young people to encourage and promote e-cigarette use. In doing so, they have created a public health crisis.
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By KATE THAYER
AUG 23, 2019 | Chicago Tribune
After the death of an Illinois resident hospitalized for an unknown respiratory illness linked to vaping — the first in the country since a rash of hospitalizations across many states — public health officials say they still are trying to identify what ingredients or products are responsible.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that an adult resident died earlier this month, but would provide no further identifying details, or circumstances surrounding the death. The patient was one of nearly 200 across the country hospitalized between late June and this week with symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath and fatigue, and who reported using e-cigarettes, health officials said. In Illinois, the health department is investigating 22 of these cases, and possibly 12 more. The patients are between 17- and 38-years-old, and some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
The country’s largest e-cigarette producer, Juul Labs, is the target of a lawsuit filed Monday by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office that alleges the company intentionally targeted teenagers with a deceptive marketing campaign.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages against the San Francisco-based company that, if successful, would go toward programs aimed at helping kids and teenagers with their nicotine addictions, according to State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim.
By EMILY K. COLEMAN
AUG 14, 2019 | Lake County News-Sun
By KATE THAYER
SEP 26, 2019 | Chicago Tribune
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that there are now 12 people who have died from a respiratory illness linked to vaping that continues to mystify public health officials.
In Thursday’s announcement, the CDC also reported that the number of people sickened has grown to 805 with hospitalizations in 46 states and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. That number has grown by nearly 300 since last week, which not only represents new cases but also new reporting of previous cases.
