U.S. health investigators are casting a wide net to understand what is sickening hundreds of vapers across the country and still have not ruled out any product on the market, even as vaping industry officials highlight the potential role of illegal cannabis products.

Dr Dana Meaney-Delman is leading the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s investigation into the culprit behind at least five confirmed deaths and 450 reported cases of lung illness linked with use of the devices.

The agency is recommending that people refrain from the use of a

“We’re trying to prevent any additional cases and deaths,” Meaney-Delman said.

She has reviewed data so far from 64 patients, including cases published on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine as well as other reports. Eighty percent of those patients reported the use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, she said.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers against using vaping devices bought “on the street” or adding THC and other substances to products purchased in stores. E-cigarette manufacturers have distanced themselves from illicit “street vapes” and stressed that their products don’t contain the liquids under scrutiny.

ny electronic cigarette or vaping device until there is more conclusive evidence of a cause, she said in an interview. Read more

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U.S. health investigators are casting a wide net to understand what is sickening hundreds of vapers across the country and still have not ruled out any product on the market, even as vaping industry officials highlight the potential role of illegal cannabis products.

U.S. health investigators are casting a wide net to understand what is sickening hundreds of vapers across the country and still have not ruled out any product on the market, even as vaping industry officials highlight the potential role of illegal cannabis products.