The New York State Department of Health has announced new findings in their ongoing investigation into the recent surge of vaping-related pulmonary (lung-related) illnesses that have been reported across the state.
Reported symptoms from the illness include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and weight loss.
The Department issued a health advisory on August 15 notifying health care providers of the situation and which symptoms to look for in patients.
As of September 5, the Department had received 34 reports from New York physicians of patents ranging from 15 to 46 years of age who developed severe pulmonary illness after recently using vaping products.
At least one of the cases involved a cannabis vape.
“The cases of pulmonary illnesses associated with vaping are continuing to rise across New York State and the country,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “We urge the public to be vigilant about any vaping products that they or any family members may be using and to immediately contact their health care provider if they develop any unusual symptoms. In general, vaping of unknown substances is dangerous, and we continue to explore all options to combat this public health issue.”
But the Department may have a lead.
High levels of vitamin E acetate were present in nearly all of the cannabis-containing samples analyzed at the Department’s Wadsworth Center laboratory.
Vitamin E acetate is not an approved additive for products in the New York State Medical Marijuana Program and the Department is now investigating the substance as a potential cause of pulmonary illness.
Vitamin E acetate is a common nutritional supplement that is generally recognized as safe when it is ingested or applied to the skin, though the Department is investigating its potential health effects when inhaled as its oil-like properties could be related to the reported symptoms.
Throughout the investigation, the Wadsworth Center lab is testing for a range of substances including natural cannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, nicotine, opioids, and pesticides in both cannabis and nicotine vaping products.
The products tested by the lab include a variety of labels and packaging and many are suspected to be counterfeits of adult-use cannabis vape products from other states.
