WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new war front has opened before the U.S. health authorities in the form of vaping, which poses a major threat to the health of the youth. Flavored e-cigarettes packed with addictive nicotine are fueling a youth epidemic.
It is estimated that currently, about 8 million adults and 5 million children in the country are using e-cigarettes. Last year, e-cigarette use among high schoolers had skyrocketed by 78 percent.
In the wake of new data showing an alarming rise in vaping by youth in the United States, the Trump administration announced plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes last month.
Food and Drug Administration is finalizing a guidance document that would require that all flavors, other than tobacco flavor, to be removed from the e-cigarette market.
And on Thursday, the US health authorities released alarming data on the health hazard caused by the use of e-cigarette, also known as vaping. Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principle Deputy Director of CDC, said at a briefing that as of October 1, 1,080 lung injury cases associated with use of e-cigarette have been reported from 48 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
'Unfortunately, this may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the escalating health threat this outbreak poses to the American public, particularly youth and young adults,' according to Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All reported patients have a history of using e-cigarettes or vaping products. Most of them used THC-containing products and were young males.
However, the CDC officials said they have no clear idea regarding the specific harmful products or components that are causing these illnesses.
CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are investigating a multi-state outbreak of lung injury associated with use of e-cigarette.
The FDA says getting to the bottom of these respiratory illnesses is a top priority for all of the federal and state agencies involved. The agency is focused at identifying the products making people ill and following the supply chain to the source.
Acting FDA Commissioner Norman Sharpless has made it clear that if those who are manufacturing or distributing illicit adulterated vaping products that caused illness or death for personal profit are identified, 'we would consider that to be a criminal act.'
The agency's office of criminal investigations also has 'parallel investigative efforts' underway, though they haven't named any target in the probe.
The only other country to report a vaping-related illness case is Canada.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
