The respiratory outbreak in the US that has killed five people is believed to have been caused by lax management and essential oils of unknown origin.
Health experts have moved to reassure vapers in the UK amid a respiratory outbreak that has killed five people and left many more hospitalised in the US.
According to a statement from the US government on Friday, they are investigating about 450 cases related to vaping among healthy young people.
Patients reportedly presented with symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms worsened within days or weeks before hospitalization.
The unusual outbreak has raised concerns that vapers in the UK could also be affected. However, Public Health England’s head of tobacco control has drawn a distinction between the vaping situation in the UK and the US. He said recent reports have suggested that most of the US cases have been linked to people using unlabelled or homemade vape juices, some of which have been found to contain THC or synthetic cannabinoids.
“Unlike in the US, vaping products in the UK are strictly regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. They also set up a Yellow Card Scheme to receive complaints from vapers during use,” he said.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the health charity Action on Tobacco and Health, said there had been no reports of serious side effects from vaping in the UK so far.
“In the UK, you can go to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency website to check whether the product you are using is licensed and available for public sale.”
This argument is supported by Dr Linda Bauld, a public health expert from the University of Edinburgh.
“The cause of the recent cases is not linked to nicotine vaping products, especially those that are strictly regulated in Europe,” she said. “All the evidence to date points to unidentified THC vaping products. Specifically, a substance called tocopherol acetate may be the culprit.”
Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioral medicine at Oxford University, added.
“These cases are worrying and need to be thoroughly investigated. But the advice from UK authorities is that vaping is still safer than smoking. The articles you see now should not change your mind.”
Source: The Guardian
