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Months after vaping-related lung ailments surged to public attention, some families still struggle to learn whether their loved ones were among the victims. Health officials haven't definitively identified a cause of the lung injuries, which have totaled more than 2,700 cases and 60 deaths. But federal investigators have generally linked them to vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent sometimes added to black-market vaping produts containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
The cases have tapered off, possibly due to greater awareness of the risks, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stepped back from a broad recommendation against e-cigarettes. But for some families, the confusion and pain lingers. Talal Ansari describes the frustration of parents like Kimberly Boyd, whose 28-year-old son died last fall with severe damage to his lungs. His physician said vaping was the trigger for his illness, but his mother and stepfather say they can't get an answer as to whether he was officially counted among the vaping victims. Florida health officials cite privacy regulations.
What are your thoughts on the impact of vaping? Do you think public-health experts will ever get a clear answer on what happened? Email me your comments, which may be edited before publication in the newsletter. Please be sure to include your name and location.
– Stefanie Ilgenfritz, Health & Science Bureau Chief, WSJ
Reach me at stefanie.ilgenfritz@wsj.com or Twitter: @stefaniei
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