New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Reports Preliminary Findings on Vaping Illness in IL and WI

The facts concerning the mysterious vaping illness that seemed to emerge suddenly this past spring are still coming into focus. Public health officials in New York State have pointed the finger at vitamin E acetate, a derivative of vitamin E used to dilute THC oil in illicit products. A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine on patients in Illinois and Wisconsin has also found a predominance of THC use in the 53 patients who (at the time) were conclusively suffering from this particular disease. Of the 53 patients, all had used e-cigarettes in the previous 90 days and 94% within the previous week—88% vaped daily. At the time of the NEJM report, 41 individuals had been extensively interviewed. Of these, 44% dual used nicotine and THC products, 37% used THC only, and 17% used nicotine only. While illicit THC “carts” seem to be the primary suspect here, the mystery has not yet been resolved. In New York not all the cases could be definitively linked to vitamin E acetate and neither the FDA nor the CDC are committing themselves to New York’s finding. In Illinois and Wisconsin 16% of patients have not reported THC use. Sources: Layden, J.E., et al. (2019). Pulmonary illness related to e-cigarette use in Illinois and Wisconsin—Preliminary report. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1911614. Sun, L. H. (2019). New York to subpoena firms selling substances linked to illicit vaping products. Washington Post. September 9. Online:

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