There has been another death associated with vaping in the United States, bringing the death toll in the U.S. to nine.
“Today, I am saddened to announce the death of a second Kansan in association with this outbreak,” Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Monday in a press release.
The man was over the age of 50 and had underlying health conditions, according to the release. The first death in Kansas associated with vaping was a woman over the age of 50 who also had underlying health conditions.
Including the two deaths, Kansas has had nine hospitalizations related to vaping, ranging in ages 17 to 67. Two are still in the hospital.
Gov. Kelly said in the release that the state’s Department of Health and Environment is “working tirelessly with other states and organizations to gather facts on e-cigarettes and its effects,” and that Kansas is “coordinating a response to combat this epidemic, so that families can avoid such tragic outcomes.”
The news out of Kansas comes amid other states’ numbers of vaping-related illnesses and deaths continues to climb.
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On Friday, it was reported that there have now been six vaping-related deaths in Idaho, according to the Associated Press.
And as of last Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control said that there were 530 reported cases of severe lung illnesses linked to vaping in the country.
The Kansas DHE’s Dr. Lee Norman will testify in front of the United States House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Wednesday to provide his own insight into the effects vaping has on the body.
“E-cigarettes are unregulated, which means that we don’t know what’s in them,” he said in Gov. Kelly’s press release. “And, of great concern to me, is that in the midst of all these illnesses being reported, the amount of young people using them is significant.”
Half of the hundreds of reported cases are under the age of 25, the release said.
The Food and Drug Administration proposed a new rule on Friday that would regulate the marketing of vaping products, Texas/Oklahoma station ABC KTEN reported Monday. According to the outlet, e-cigarette products would only be allowed to be sold “after they’ve shown they can be marketed in a way that best protects public health.”
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