The furor over vaping reached a crescendo this week with two congressional hearings, hundreds of new cases of a mysterious lung disease, upheaval at e-cigarette maker Juul and canceled merger plans between Big Tobacco companies Altria and Philip Morris International.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dispatched more than 100 doctors and investigators to try to figure out what’s making 805 people sick and killed at least 13. The early symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath or chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue or abdominal pain.
The Federal Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration have opened a criminal probe into the vaping illnesses while Congress and other agencies conduct their own probes into the e-cigarette industry and market leader Juul.
Here’s what you need to know:
Outbreak spreads
The vaping illness outbreak has now spread to 46 states and one territory with public health officials in 10 states reporting deaths.
The first illnesses cropped up in April and rapidly increased beginning in July. The first death was reported on Aug 23 in Illinois. The most recent fatalities were reported by health officials in North Carolina and Oregon on Thursday. The disease is mostly hitting men, and all reported cases have a history of e-cigarette or vaping use. [Read More @ CNBC]
