The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with other clinical and public health partners are investigating a statewide outbreak of pulmonary (relating to the lungs) diseases associated with e-cigarette products such as: devices, liquids, refill pods, and/or cartridges use. 

Due to the increase in known hospitalizations and even up to 6 deaths, as of Thursday Sept. 11, the CDC and FDA have recently been looking further into what may have been caused by vaping products and recommend that people stop using these products immediately. 

E-cigarettes are devices that deliver an aerosol to the user by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver marijuana or other substances.

The CDC has now found that in 2019, 27.5% of high schoolers used an e-cigarette within the previous month, compared to 20.8% in 2018⁠. 

Whether it be through vaping tobacco or marijuana products, people are falling ill to these bad habits at a steadily increasing rate. 

“As of September 6, 2019, over 450 possible cases of lung illness associated with the use of e-cigarette products have been reported to CDC from 33 states and 1 U.S. territory,” according to the CDC. 

Professors at Los Medanos College are learning of this epidemic and using their resources to teach it to their students. 

“I will absolutely pass studies forward and announce the dangers of vaping to my students,” said Veronica Turrigiano, nursing instructor. “It’s [vaping and smoking] a now problem. We need to make sure we don’t get them [youth] started on this. It’s the take care of me now so you don’t have to take care of me later thinking.” 

While the investigation on e-cigarette and vaping products is not complete, evidence suggests that they are the main issue and common factor between each case. 

Those affected are reporting similar symptoms to one another along with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products. 

“Based on reports from several states, patients have experienced respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain), and some have also experienced gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea) or non-specific symptoms (fatigue, fever, or weight loss),” according to the official CDC statement on e-cigarettes and vaping products.

Those who have died are said to be middle aged with other health problems, but the doctors helping with these findings will not stop until they get to the bottom of the issue.

“We are committed to finding out what is making people sick,” said Robert R. Redfield, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “All available information is being carefully analyzed, and these initial findings are helping us narrow the focus of our investigation and get us closer to the answers needed to save lives.”

At time of publishing, the CDC has not made a definite conclusion to which chemicals are causing this reaction since patients across the nation are smoking different products ranging from nicotine and tobacco to marijuana. 

    This issue has taken notice of the President of the United States of America which led him to talk about banning flavored vaping products from the market. 

“It’s very dangerous. Children have died. People have died,” Trump said while promising that he would enact “strong rules and regulations.” As of print, the new law is being debated about.