Lung Injuries Tied to Vaping Climb to 530

By Kelly Young

Edited by André Sofair, MD, MPH, and William E. Chavey, MD, MS

The number of confirmed and probable cases of lung injury tied to vaping and e-cigarette use in the U.S. increased from 380 to 530 in the past week. Seven deaths have been confirmed, and officials say they expect these numbers to increase.

Roughly three quarters of those sick are male, and more than half are under the age of 25.

FDA is using its criminal investigation office to test 150 samples to determine what is making people sick. Officials emphasized that they are not pursuing criminal charges against individual users of illicit substances.

Illinois, which has 69 cases, is asking all of its residents who've recently vaped to complete a survey about their vaping and e-cigarette habits to get more information about what may be contributing to the illnesses.