If you are searching for how many people died from vaping, you are probably interested in vaping yourself or maybe you are simply researching the topic. It’s strange to us, as vapers, to even share this type of information, or to even learn for ourselves that there is a vaping-related death toll. However, even though there have been vaping-related deaths, there haven’t been any deaths related to nicotine vaping. Sit back, relax, and take a quick look at our shocking find of how many people died from vaping.
The Cause of Vaping-Related Deaths
Believe it or not but there have been vaping-related deaths. Though we as vapers like to share the positive information about vaping, it is also our duty to share the negative as well. We hold nothing back, and when there is a problem, we believe you should know.
However, the cause of the vaping-related deaths wasn’t from nicotine vaping. In fact, the vaping lung illness outbreak that began in 2019 and ended in 2020 was caused by black market THC cartridges. Sold illegally, these carts containing THC (the cannabinoid in marijuana that gets you high) utilize a concentrate that was found to contain Vitamin E acetate. Although Vitamin E acetate is used to thicken the formula in vape concentrations, manufacturers typically use lower than 20%.
Image Source: The New York Times
With very little knowledge of these products and in an effort to bulk up the low potency in the black market vape cartridges, the illicit manufacturers/sellers were using 50% or more in the cartridges. Due to them using the highly concentrated formula of Vitamin E acetate, it caused a severe lung illness, causing serious breathing complications.
Who Was Responsible For The Deaths?
There were several brands that were responsible for vaping-related deaths. Brands like Dank Vapes, TKO, and Smart Cart were found to manufacture and/or sell the black market cartridges containing high levels of Vitamin E acetate. So, what happened to them? Multiple arrests were made, 7 in Kenosha, Wisconsin where authorities raided and seized roughly $1.5 million worth of THC products. From our research, the court is still proceeding, though the defense attorneys were granted (from Jan 16, 2020) 60 more days to go through the information, and the prosecutors did not object. We have not learned of any further information regarding the case.
Tyler Huffhines / Jacob Huffhines
How Many People Died From Vaping?
The vaping lung illness outbreak that struck the nation between 2019 and 2020 wasn’t anything to overlook. It was real, it was serious, and there were a lot of businesses and people affected by the outbreak. To make it worse, there were 2,711 people that were hospitalized and 60 deaths, which have been confirmed by the CDC. The vaping lung illness outbreak was contained only in the United States, fortunately. The first cases were in both Illinois and Wisconsin, though the products spread to various states.
Update April 03, 2020: New information on vaping-induced lung injury from Harvard Medical School shared an update most recently that hospitalizations were found across all 50 states, reporting as many as 2,800 cases and 68 deaths. However, after products were ceased and awareness spread, hospital visits related to vaping started declining, and vaping-related deaths have halted.
How Did The Vaping Illness Slow Down?
For those that were wondering how many people died from vaping, you may also be wondering how did the vaping illness finally slow down? Once news began to spread and the legal actions taken against the illicit sellers came to fruition, suddenly, the vaping illness disappeared just as quickly as it came. Here are some of the reasons why the vaping illness slowed down:
- Legal action against the illicit sellers/manufacturers.
- The raid and giant seizure of $1.5 million worth of black-market THC products.
- Public awareness of these tainted THC products.
- The removal of vitamin E acetate from THC products.
However, the damage was already done. It was all at the cost of people’s health, people’s lives, and a once booming industry that was left to rebuild.
The Problem With It Being Vaping-Related
The outbreak was a huge blow to the vaping industry. It caused panic, it gave vaping and vaping products a bad name, and all of this is happening while the industry is still trying to prove itself. It seems as if everyone is out to get the vaping industry, causing destruction in its path. Nicotine vaping was invented as a less harmful alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, yet it seems like so many do not want to reduce the harm being caused by smoking.
The problem with this all being vaping-related is that it is tearing down a part of the industry, nicotine vaping, that is only trying to help save lives. The nicotine vaping industry is being bombarded with hit after hit. First, it was the teen epidemic, then the legal smoking age changed to 21 (includes vaping), then the FDA banned closed vape systems with flavors, then it was hit by COVID-19 that affected all businesses and people, flavor bans continue to grow, and those unfortunate deaths still have a cloud over e-cigarettes and vaping.
Image Source: Fox News
At this point, the industry and its consumers cannot catch a break.
Research That Led Us To Our Shocking Find
While we were already aware of this but we know many of you weren’t and find it all truly shocking. We do our own research on topics to accurately inform our viewers. We scoured the Web to find the facts, instead of listening to the media. Always question the news, whether it is about vaping, COVID-19, or anything else. Do your own research, learn about the topic, and then form your opinion and/or make your actions. Nicotine vaping is in fact helping people. However, just for your own sake, we would recommend that you stay wary of those THC carts.
