GETTING CLOSER

More Evidence Points to Vitamin E Acetate in Vaping Illnesses

The substance has recently been used as a thickener in some illicit vaping products containing THC.

Health officials told the Associated Press Tuesday that they have more evidence that the vitamin E acetate compound is a culprit in a national outbreak of vaping illnesses. Nearly 2,300 Americans who vape have gotten sick since March, many of them teens and young adults, according to a recent tally by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 47 people have died. Researchers found vitamin E acetate in black market vaping cartridges seized in Minnesota during the outbreak this year, which none of the older samples contained. The compound was also found in vaping cartridges collected from a dozen patients. Most who got sick said they had vaped liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana. Vitamin E acetate has recently been used as a thickener in some illicit vaping products that contain THC, officials said. “The findings further support a potential role for vitamin E acetate in causing lung injury associated with vaping products,” said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, a Minnesota health official.