CDC Update: Vitamin E Found in ALL Vape Patients

The Centers for Disease Control updated its website today. The organization said that recent CDC laboratory testing of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples from 29 patients with EVALI submitted to CDC from 10 states found vitamin E acetate in all of the BAL fluid samples.  Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in the production of e-cigarette, or vaping, products. This is the first time that we have detected a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries.

As of November 5, 2,051 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 1 U.S. territory. There have been 39 deaths in 24 states and the District of Columbia.

CDC continues to recommend that people should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, particularly from informal sources like friends, or family, or in-person or online dealers. We will continue to provide updates as more data become available.

The website posted these new findings:

New Laboratory Findings:

  • Analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples (or samples of fluid collected from the lungs) of patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury identified vitamin E acetate, an additive in some THC-containing products.
  • Recent CDC laboratory test results of BAL samples from 29 patients submitted to CDC from 10 states identified vitamin E acetate in all BAL fluid samples. THC was identified in 82% of the samples and nicotine was identified in 62% of the samples.
    • CDC tested for a range of other chemicals that might be found in e-cigarette, or vaping, products, including plant oils, petroleum distillates like mineral oil, MCT oil, and terpenes (which are compounds found in or added to THC products). None of these potential chemicals of concern were detected in the BAL fluid samples tested.
  • This is the first time that we have detected a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries. These findings provide direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury within the lungs.
  • These findings complement the ongoing work of FDAexternal icon and some state public health laboratories to characterize e-liquid exposures and inform the ongoing multistate outbreak.

The CDC admitted that no one compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date, and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak. Many different substances and product sources are still under investigation.

Debra Borchardt

Debra Borchardt is the Co-Founder, and Executive Editor of GMR. She has covered the cannabis industry for several years at Forbes, Seeking Alpha and TheStreet. Prior to becoming a financial journalist, Debra was a Vice President at Bear Stearns where she held a Series 7 and Registered Investment Advisor license. Debra has a Master's degree in Business Journalism from New York University.


19 comments

  • Richard bright

    November 8, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    Vitamin E is not an ANY nicotine vaping products. It is too thick to run through most devices, such as a juul. Vitamin E is strictly related to blackarket THC cartridges. Dealers are using this as a cutting agent for their THC oils as it’s far cheaper than actual THC oil. Vitamin E also cost substantially more than any ingredients in standard nicotine vape.. To say someone would put it into a nicotine vape is as far fetched as someone trying to say people replaced flour in the market with cocaine. Financially it would make no sense. Please correct this article to specify that this is about THC cartridges and not “Vaping”. Otherwise, you are stopping people from using a potentially life saving product, while misinforming them of the dangers associated with the actual product causing the issues.

    Reply

    • Debra Borchardt

      November 11, 2019 at 9:57 am

      This is a direct quote from the CDC “THC was identified in 82% of the samples and nicotine was identified in 62% of the samples.”

      Reply

      • Derek keefe

        November 11, 2019 at 1:02 pm

        Yes I know because the people getting sick were putting thc mixed with the nicotine vaping pods. Do a little research before you shoot from the hip and throw these accusations out. I’ve been vaping for 5 years everyday and have never gotten sick or even close to it. Because I don’t use thc! It’s a separate product! Vaping is not thc and thc is not vaping. That’s the problem. Just do some research before putting this out there!

        Reply

        • Debra Borchardt

          November 11, 2019 at 1:20 pm

          I am almost directly quoting the CDC. If you have an issue with their study, please take it up with them. Just because you haven’t had any issues, doesn’t mean that people did not die and there is a commonality in their deaths. Please review all the detail in the CDC study and then tell them where they went wrong.

          Reply

          • Dave

            November 13, 2019 at 7:35 am

            “THC was identified in 82% of the samples and nicotine was identified in 62% of the samples.”

            It says nicotine found in 62% samples, not vitamin oil. If this isnt a misconstrued sentence or unless CDC say; yes we found vitamin oil in normal eliquids that are not even THC then the concern can be true, however at this stage that sentence has nothing todo with normal eliquids.

      • Bobby w

        November 12, 2019 at 10:40 pm

        That’s nice you replied, but you’re missing the point. Vitamin E acetate is a known cutting agent for black market thc cartridges.

        It’s never an ingredient in legitimate nicotine liquids. Not ever.

        Vegetable glycerin
        Propolyne glycol
        Food grade flavorings
        Nicotine (not always)

        The end.

        Reply

        • Dan Pedersen

          November 14, 2019 at 6:21 am

          You nailed it. The THC Catridges has nothing to do with normal vaping at all. The Vitamin E Acetate is not used in normal eliquid, it is a cutting agent for the THC Catridges found on the black market. I have never heard of any eliquid that had Vitamin E Acetate in it. And yes, they found nicotine in them, but that is not the point, there is nicotine in both products. So the nicotine has nothing to do with this. It is the Vitamin E Acetate in the black market catridges wich also had nicotine (the nicotine has nothing to do with it, there is nicotine in cigarettes, eliquid, and black market catridges)

          Reply

    • John Dilger

      November 13, 2019 at 6:38 pm

      Not true at all in my case, I had evali was in the hospital for 2 weeks. I havent had thc in my body since I was 22, I’m 33 now. I only vaped nicotine from store bought ejuices, no shady places, always bought from same licensed store for past 2 years. Now tell me again how your statement is true??? I have toxicology reports from my inpatient at the hospital. If I could post them here I would. There are many cases of nicotine only. But it seems pro vape people are trying not to let that get out. Watch WJZ-BALTTV at 11pm on 11/14/2019….you’ll see that true facts about me…as I’m am one of the nicotine only cases…so everything all you on here are saying is BS.

      Reply

  • D

    November 8, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    You forgot to add:

    don’t buy blackmarket vaping products. buy from a reputable vape store. reputable nicotine eliquid companies DO NOT use vitamin E to produce their products. that’s why the industry has been around for 15+ years and just now there is an epidemic…. think about it….

    Reply

  • Jerry

    November 8, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    Vitamin E acetate is used as an additive in the production of e-cigarette
    What does this mean. I sell electronic cigarettes, and Vitamin E acetate is NOT used as an additive in the production of our products.
    Maybe this was an accidental choice of framing the story, but this is not true, and has never been true.

    Reply

    • Debra Borchardt

      November 11, 2019 at 9:56 am

      Direct quote from the CDC – “THC was identified in 82% of the samples and nicotine was identified in 62% of the samples.”

      Reply

  • jackie mcgowan

    November 12, 2019 at 1:07 am

    “CDC Update: Vitamin E Found in ALL 29 out of 1,881 Patients’ Vape Patients”

    Reply

  • Adom

    November 12, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    Vitamin E Acetate was never used in e-cigarette products. Vitamin E Acetate is/was added to thc cartidges by Moronic people creating black market THC cartidges

    Reply

  • James

    November 12, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    The patients samples tested positive for nicotine because they used the and nicotine in concert. THC has been the only substance linked to these illnesses.

    Congrats on spreading confusion 👏👏👏

    Reply

    • James

      November 12, 2019 at 3:20 pm

      THC*** not the 🙄

      Autocorrect isn’t always automatically correct

      Reply

  • CHRISTINA HOVIS

    November 12, 2019 at 5:27 pm

    The FDA has all ingredients in nicotine e liquids. It’s VG/PG flavor and nicotine that’s it. Now they fill those juul pods with THC oil from the black market. Dealer’s use vitamin E as a thickener in THC tanks cause it’s believed the thicker the oil the more pure it is. No nicotine ejuices have vitamin e in them . These people are altering the product. I just read another article 2 boys dead the tank was laced with heroin. So yes there’s people adding drugs and getting sick & dying. Please look up what ingredients are in traditional nicotine ejuices. Report facts please.

    Reply

  • Nate Keller

    November 12, 2019 at 8:29 pm

    The CDC is still spreading lies and misinformation! These findings are from lung samples, the only thing it proves is that most of the subjects were dual users of THC and nicotine. The nicotine present could have been from nicotine ecigs or smoking cigarettes! Just another way for them to present half truth and continue to still spread fear mongering propaganda. Black market THC pods were confirmed two months ago to have Vitamin E Acetate present. There has not been one legitimate nicotine eliquid product on the consumer market found containing Vitamin E Acetate.

    Reply

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