#parent | #kids | #parents | #teensvaping | Deaths, Cases Reported So Far

Many Americans are still going to hospitals because of the effects of vaping. The government recorded 2,602 hospitalizations due to lung injury and 59 deaths linked to vaping.

Just in early January, the federal government recorded 41 new hospitalizations and two deaths due to vape-related illness. Patients come from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, CNBC reported.

Majority of the patients brought due to vaping-related illness since September are younger people. However, health officials said the increase in patients slowed down in the beginning of 2020 amid new regulations set by the federal and state governments. 

Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and Montana imposed a temporary and long-term ban on the sale of all vaping products. Illinois also reportedly is considering banning flavored e-cigarettes, while Chicago and Los Angeles plan to restrict the sale of all vaping devices, The New York Times reported Monday. 

The Trump administration eyes a national ban on most flavored e-cigarettes. Health officials have yet to determine which products directly caused lung problems in patients.

But some studies found that many people regularly used marijuana-containing vapes prior to their hospitalization due to lung injury. One research showed that 87 percent of observed patients in Wisconsin and Illinois reported using vaping products with THC.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that many patients used products from Dank Vapes. The brand is widely available online and from unauthorized sellers. 

Vapes from online sellers appeared popular to teens. Officials said the number of young people who used e-cigarettes increased in early 2020, with more 12th grade students using nicotine-based products.

The CDC said there are already more than 120 patients under 18 years old who suffered from  lung injury due to vaping. To help address teen vaping in the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on many fruit- and mint-flavored nicotine vaping products to discourage young Americans from using the device. 

The CDC also called on consumers to either stop vaping or avoid products that contain high levels of THC and those bought off the street.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are more than three million people currently using e-cigarettes in the U.S. Pixabay