Vaping: E-cigarettes & Personal Vaporizers

[Blackadder1916]

Okay, a bit dramatic but it is the image that is posted at the top of the article on the US Army Public Health Center website.

https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/healthyliving/tfl/Pages/Vaping.aspx

Vaping: E-cigarettes & Personal Vaporizers

25 September 2019 - Confirmed cases and deaths continue to increase; until we know more, Soldiers, Army civilians, and their family members are encouraged to consider not using e-cigarette or vaping products due to lung injury associated with their use.

Those who do use these products should seek prompt medical care if they experience symptoms including: coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain; nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; or fatigue, fever, or weight loss.

Hundreds of cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette products have been reported across multiple states. Numerous people have died from the illness. All of the patients reported recent use of e-cigarette products, and many stated using devices containing cannabinoid products such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD). Symptoms of the illness appear over the course of a few days to several weeks and include difficulty breathing, coughing, shortness of breath and/or chest pain. Some individuals also reported mild to moderate vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue.

Although the specific cause of the injury remains unknown, all reported cases include recent e-cigarette or vaping product use. The aerosol from e-cigarettes and vaping products can contain a variety of harmful or potentially harmful ingredients. Also, the contents of e-cigarette and vaping liquids are not highly regulated and can vary from product to product. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments to collect information on products used by individuals affected by this outbreak.

(More at link)

The warning is not new (relatively)

https://www.army.mil/article/226973/

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- The Army Public Health Center issued a Public Health Alert Sept. 10 warning Soldiers and Family Members who do not currently use tobacco products to avoid all e-cigarette and vaping products, particularly those sold off the street or modified to add any substances not intended by the manufacturer.

The warning follows reports of more than 450 possible cases of severe lung illness associated with e-cigarette products that have been reported across multiple states, which all have Army installations also located in these states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed at least six deaths across multiple states associated with this illness.

. . . .

And the latest action of the US military is to pull vaping products from its exchanges.

https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2019/09/24/these-military-stores-are-pulling-vaping-products-from-the-shelves-in-the-wake-of-health-scare/

These military stores are pulling vaping products from the shelves in the wake of health scare

By:  Karen Jowers  17 hours ago

Exchanges on Army, Air Force and Navy installations are in the process of removing e-cigarettes and vaping products from their shelves and from concessionaires by Oct. 1, in light of recent deaths and illnesses associated with vaping.

Marine Corps Exchange officials have not yet made a decision about whether they will pull the products.

Commissaries don’t sell e-cigarettes or vaping products.

The decisions were made in the wake of news about the outbreak of mysterious vaping-related lung injuries. At least 530 cases from 38 states have been reported, and seven deaths have been confirmed in six states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Commissaries don’t sell e-cigarettes or vaping products.

The decisions were made in the wake of news about the outbreak of mysterious vaping-related lung injuries. At least 530 cases from 38 states have been reported, and seven deaths have been confirmed in six states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Navy Exchange Service Command officials were the first to determine that stores will no longer sell these products “out of an abundance of caution,” said Courtney Williams, spokeswoman for NEXCOM. Two types of e-cigarettes are sold on Navy Exchange shelves, both approved by the Food and Drug Administration, will be removed by 5 p.m., Sept. 26, she said.

Navy Exchanges don’t sell any vaping products, but some exchange locations have concession vendors that do sell them. As of Oct. 1, concessionaires and vendors will be prohibited from selling e-cigarettes or vaping products in any Navy Exchange, Williams said.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service will also remove the e-cigarette and vape products from its shelves, effective the close of business Sept. 30, according to AAFES spokesman Chris Ward. The products are being removed until the Food and Drug Administration’s work with the CDC state health departments to collect information on the products is complete, he said.

. . .

While the focus of these articles are the actions being taken by the US military, Canadian Forces members face the same hazards of vaping.  Has there been any similar warnings in the CF?

 

[garb811]

Good thing smokes and chew have never been definitively linked to adverse health affects, up to and including death, otherwise they'd be rushing to pull that off the shelves as well.  :not-again:

 

[Jonezy76]

Good thing smokes and chew have never been definitively linked to adverse health affects, up to and including death, otherwise they'd be rushing to pull that off the shelves as well.  :not-again:

E-cigarettes and vaping products aren't taxed as heavily as smokes or chew.... It's ok if you pay enough tax.

 

[Hyrald]

I think the military taking precautions makes sense, particularly with unregulated products or modified devices being a big part of the problem.