Health officials have released the names of the products identified by patients in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Several cannabis products have been identified as the likely culprits in a severe lung illness that has sickened 800 people who use vaping devices and e-cigarettes to inhale THC or nicotine. The products include THC cartridges called “Dank Vapes” and other illicit brands purchased through family, friends or on the street, according to a health department statement Friday.
But authorities say Dank Vapes is not a specific formula or product, but a label that THC sellers put on all their products. THC is the stimulant ingredient in marijuana.
According to a report published by health authorities from Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as the CDC, Dank Vapes appears to be the most prominent brand among the counterfeits. With packaging that is common and easily found online, distributors use it to advertise THC cartridges without centralized distribution or manufacturing.
The origin and manufacturer of these THC products are still unknown, the researchers said.
The new information comes from interviews between researchers and 86 patients aged 15 to 53 who became ill after vaping in Illinois and Wisconsin. Nearly 60% of these patients required treatment in intensive care. About 87% of those interviewed had used THC oil from cartridges purchased from unofficial sources in the three months before becoming ill, and 57% had used Dank Vapes.
Other THC brands include Moon Rocks, Off White, and TKO, according to the researchers. The widespread use of these refillable cartridges suggests they could be playing a key role in the epidemic. The appeal of THC vaping is that it doesn’t have the distinctive smell of marijuana, allowing users to hide what they’re doing.
But authorities also said they don't know if the vape groin or deaths in other parts of the country are linked to the THC brands identified in Illinois and Wisconsin.
The new report may not surprise long-term THC users, who have been warning each other online that Danks Vapes and counterfeit brands may contain toxins. However, some reviewers admit to continuing to use them.
Juul was the dominant brand among patients who vaped nicotine in Illinois and Wisconsin. Many people who vaped THC also used nicotine vape products.
The CDC held a meeting Friday to discuss the results of its investigation into vaping illnesses that have appeared in 46 states, including 805 cases and 13 deaths. Oregon reported its second death on Thursday, with the state health department saying a patient was hospitalized with pneumonia after vaping cannabis products.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s deputy director, called the lung illness “serious and life-threatening.” She described the vaping market as a dynamic place with multiple product, ingredient, packaging, and supply chains. Consumers have no idea what’s in their e-liquid.
The 86 patients interviewed from Illinois and Wisconsin used 234 e-cigarette or vaping products from 87 different brands. Of the 75 who vaped THC, 49 used it at least once a day, and some as many as five times a day.
Many patients across the country also used THC products, authorities said. Some patients said they only vaped nicotine, but the Wisconsin researchers found that those who said so had also used THC.
According to the CDC, of the 771 patients nationwide, 91% were hospitalized, 69% were male, and 60% of them were between 18 and 34 years old. Of the deaths, 60% were male, with a median age of about 50, according to the CDC. Both the CDC and the FDA are investigating the vaping illness outbreak, not only to determine the product used, but also the type of compound inhaled.
FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless told a congressional panel Wednesday that the agency is testing essential oils taken from patients.
“We received about 300 samples,” he said. “We tested about 150. About 70 percent of them were THC products. The rest were nicotine or something else. A large portion of the THC oil samples contained Vitamin E Acetate.”
Vitamin E acetate is a skin oil and is not present in products intended to be inhaled, Mr. Sharpless said, and is used to thicken or dilute THC before sale.
Source: New York Times
