Over the last several years, public health authorities have sounded the alarm about teenagers vaping — especially as the popular Juul vape took off on social media. But the more recent safety crises in vaping are a little more concrete: exploding vape pens, seizures, and lung injuries.
Before the attention-grabbing lung injuries, lawmakers were already nervous about how many kids were taking up vaping. In December 2018, the US Surgeon General declared vaping “an epidemic.”
Some of vaping’s risks have to do with their batteries, which can explode. Those explosions are rare, but sometimes deadly. Since June 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported an uptick in reports of vaping-related seizures. Vaping has also been linked to a spate of lung injuries, some of them deadly, too — though it’s unclear what precisely is causing the injuries.
Policymakers have begun to take action: banning flavored vapes, for instance. The FDA has warned consumers not to use THC vapes. Some companies have also stopped selling e-cigs. Vape makers are still DIYing their own vape liquids, though, and teenagers have proven crafty in getting around age bans.
Still, safety studies on vapes lag well behind the industry’s popularity. The long-term effects of vaping are unknown; vapes are probably better than smoking, but that doesn’t necessarily make them safe. We know so far that using high voltages in vapes can release formaldehyde-causing chemicals; we also know that vaping exposes users to more toxic chemicals and heavy metals than people who don’t vape. We also know that vaping might increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, nicotine is still addictive — and we know addiction can be distressing.
Check here for all the updates on vaping safety.
Multiple brands likely responsible for vaping injuries, CDC says
Vitamin E acetate is still the focus of the investigation
New York attorney general sues Juul for deceptive marketing
The AG’s office pointed to ads that glamorize the products
Apple removes all vaping-related apps from the App Store
The company says it’s responding to the vaping ‘health crisis’
CDC announces breakthrough in vaping lung injury investigation
One potential suspect has been definitively identified
San Francisco proceeds with e-cigarette sales ban after decisive vote
More than 80 percent voted against Proposition C
Vaping is still on the rise in high schools
Federal regulators could move to limit mint flavors after study shows its popularity
Juul suspends sale of fruity flavor pods
They’re getting ahead of the Trump administration
Vaping lung death toll hits 26 as CDC investigation continues
Nearly 1,300 lung injury cases reported
Don’t use THC vapes, FDA says, as lung injury death toll increases
Or vaping products of any kind obtained off the street
Juul halts advertising in United States, replaces CEO
The company also promised that it would not fight a proposed flavor ban
Juul is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors
The vaping giant is facing a growing government backlash, including a looming ban from the White House
Walmart says it will stop selling e-cigarettes
‘Regulatory complexity’ makes vaping bad business
Banning flavored vapes won’t stop deadly lung disease
New regulations are inspired by a different epidemic
India bans e-cigarette sales and says there’s an ‘epidemic’ of kids vaping
People can still use e-cigarettes, but they can’t buy refills
You can buy vapes illegally on eBay — and these senators want the practice to end
Vapes ‘are dangerous and shouldn’t be available on’ eBay, the senators said
CNN will stop running Juul and other e-cigarette ads after vaping deaths
That may change if ‘new facts come to light’
People are throwing their Juuls out windows and drenching them in water just to quit
Also subbing in sugar snap peas
Three people have died of a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping as cases skyrocket
CDC encourages people to stop vaping as investigation continues
Chemical contaminant identified as ‘key focus’ of investigation into vaping illness
It has not confirmed reports that it is narrowing its focus to vitamin E acetate
Michigan becomes the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes
The ban goes into effect immediately