New Lung Illness Linked To Vape Pens May Be Due To Faulty Products: What Victims Should Know
Vape pens were already popular -- especially among teens -- when the market for their use with medical marijuana took off.
A recent spate of deaths and mysterious lung ailments in at least 33 states has now prompted officials to urge people to put down their vape pens right away. There have been around 450 reported incidents of people developing a serious lung disease that is unlike anything officials have seen -- and the problem seems to be spreading. Here are the facts potential victims need to know about both the situation and their legal options:
The New Disease Is Linked to Oil in the Lungs
The majority of the victims were young people and many developed symptoms that led to hospitalization within only a few days of using their vape pens. While not yet exclusively linked to marijuana products, the strongest indicators right now suggest that the e-cigs may be allowing a compound oil, possibly Vitamin E acetate, used in the preparation of some marijuana products for vaping to get into victims' lungs.
Symptoms of the illness include trouble breathing that grows steadily worse, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Many of the victims who have ended up hospitalized were suffering from hypoxia, an insufficient amount of oxygen in the blood. Many were initially treated for bacterial infections until doctors discovered that oils were actually blocking the lungs.
While treatable with strong anti-inflammatory drugs, like prednisone, some victims may develop lasting damage. A few have died because the cause of their distress wasn't discovered in time.
The Victims May Be Entitled to Compensation
When you buy a product that is supposed to be safe for use, you have a certain right under product liability laws to have your expectations met. Designers, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers alike are all considered equally responsible when a product is marketed as "safe" to consumers and it turns out to be highly dangerous.
Vaping has long been touted as a much safer alternative to cigarette use or smoking cannabis through an ordinary pipe. In addition, the cannabis products that have been linked to this new lung disease are produced specifically for use in vape pens -- which means that consumers should be able to use the products as directed without fear of injury.
It May Be Time to Contact an Attorney
If you or your loved one was seriously injured after vaping a marijuana product that was designed for that purpose, contacting a personal injury attorney is probably the smartest move you can make to preserve your rights. It's possible that liability for the victims' injuries will fall back on one or more companies -- including both the makers of the vape pens involved and the vape products that were used. Since these kinds of cases are complicated, an experienced attorney's advice is important.
