Breakthrough over vaping lung illnesses as cases top 2,000

US health officials are reporting a breakthrough in their investigation into the cause of a nationwide outbreak of vaping illnesses that topped 2,000 cases this week.

The discovery of vitamin E acetate in lung samples offers the first direct evidence of a link between the substance and vaping-related lung injuries. The substance has also been identified in tests by US and state officials of product samples collected from patients with the vaping injury.

In a telephone briefing on Friday, Dr Anne Schuchet, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), called vitamin E acetate “a very strong culprit of concern” and referred to the discovery as “a breakthrough” in the investigation.

She cautioned that more work was needed to definitively declare it a cause and said studies may identify other potential causes of the injuries as well.

Via The Guardian