Another Kansas School District Prepares to Sue E-Cigarette Maker
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City school district is preparing to sue a leading e-cigarette maker as the number of deaths from a vaping-related lung disease continues to climb. The Kansas City Star reports that the school board for the Olathe school district is planning a special meeting today (FRI) to vote on filing a lawsuit against Juul. District officials aren't commenting until after the meeting. Lawsuits have been filed across the county as health officials investigate hundreds of breathing illnesses nationwide reported in people who used vaping devices. Multiple deaths have been reported, including two in Kansas. Juul has defended itself from the litigation by saying that it doesn't market to youth and that its products are meant to be an alternative to smoking.
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U.S. Vaping Illness Count Jumps to 805, Deaths Rise to 13
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds more Americans have been reported to have a vaping-related breathing illness, and the death toll has risen to 13, health officials said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 805 confirmed and probable cases have been reported, up 52% from the 530 reported a week ago. At this point, illnesses have occurred in almost every state. The confirmed deaths include two in California, two in Kansas, two in Oregon and one each in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri. The Mississippi death was announced by officials in that state Thursday and the second Oregon death was revealed by authorities later in the day. Over the summer, health officials in a few states began noticing reports of people developing severe breathing illnesses, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. The only common factor in the illnesses was that the patients had all recently vaped.
As a national investigation started and broadened, reports have increased dramatically. It's not clear how many of the 275 added cases occurred in the last week, and how many are being logged long after they happened. The CDC has not released details on when symptoms began in each case. The agency's count includes only illnesses that have met certain criteria. Other illnesses are also being investigated. Most patients have said they vaped products containing THC, the ingredient that produces a high in marijuana. The investigation has been increasingly focused on products containing THC, with some attention on ingredients added to marijuana oil. But some patients have said they vaped only nicotine. Currently, health officials are advising people not to use any vaping product until the cause is better understood.
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The image used in conjunction with this article comes from the Flickr account for Vaping360 with the permission of V aping360.com.
