San Francisco Bay Area records its first death linked to vaping

In this April 23, 2014 file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago. Teen vapers prefer Juul and mint is the #1 flavor among many of them, suggesting a shift after the company’s fruit and dessert flavors were removed from retail stores, new U.S. research suggests. The results are in a pair of studies published Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, including a report from the Food and Drug Administration and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that the U.S. teen vaping epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. less In this April 23, 2014 file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago. Teen vapers prefer Juul and mint is the #1 flavor among many of them, suggesting a shift after the company’s fruit and ... more Photo: Nam Y. Huh, Associated Press Photo: Nam Y. Huh, Associated Press Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close San Francisco Bay Area records its first death linked to vaping 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A Marin County woman has died due to complications related to vaping, health officials said Wednesday. This is the first death recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area associated with e-cigarette use.

The victim was in her 40s and took up vaping six months ago. She was reportedly healthy before developing acute lung disease.

“With sadness, we report that there has been a death in our community suspected to be caused by severe lung injury associated with vaping,” Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a statement.

More than 2,000 Americans who vape have gotten sick with lung damage since March, many of them teenagers and young adults, and at least 40 people have died. Four of those deaths have been in California.

The California Department of Public Health has asked everyone to avoid vaping, no matter the substance or source, until investigations are complete.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this month a breakthrough into the cause of a vaping illness outbreak, identifying the chemical compound vitamin E acetate as a "very strong culprit" after finding it in fluid taken from the lungs of 29 patients. Vitamin E acetate previously was found in liquid from electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices used by many who got sick and only recently has been used as a vaping fluid thickener.

Many who got sick said they had vaped liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana, with many saying they received them from friends or bought them on the black market.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices heating a liquid substance (called "e-liquid" or "e-juice") that contains nicotine, flavorings, and other additives and deliver the nicotine and flavoring to the user in the form of an aerosol ("smoke").

Symptoms of lung damage from vaping include trouble breathing, a fever, weight loss and gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, and vomiting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.