The hundreds of vaping illnesses and over a dozen deaths are likely caused by toxic fumes from e-cigarettes, a first-of-its kind study suggests. More than 800 Americans have suffered severe lung damage and, as of Wednesday, an additional death was reported in Alabama, bringing the national total to 17 vaping-related fatalities. As illnesses and deaths have mounted, scientists have been scrambling for answers and have cautiously proposed a number of theories. At last, Mayo Clinic researchers can offer a clearer explanation: it's not lipid pneumonia, as some have suggested, but 'direct damage' akin to what happens to lungs exposed to chemical fumes. ☠️ #vaping

First person dies from vaping-related illness in Connecticut, bringing national death toll to 19, officials say. The state's health department has not released the name, exact age or sex of the individual who passed away last week, but said that they were between the ages of 30 and 39. At least another 1,080 people nationwide are suffering severe lung damage from e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) report. 🌬☠️ #vaping

Vaping can cause cancer, at least in animals, according to a new study. Although it was initially billed as a safer alternative to smoking - which causes 160,000 cancer deaths a year in the US - vaping gave nearly a quarter of mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor for a year lung cancer. E-cigarettes first hit the market about a decade ago, and have since been linked to nearly 20 deaths and over a thousands illnesses in the US, but its too soon for any potential cases of cancer related to the devices to have occurred. The 40 mice were exposed to far more of the 'smoke' than a human would be while vaping, but the New York University (NYU) team says their results capture a process that makes nicotine e-cigs carcinogenic. However, only one of the 17 animals that were exposed to nicotine-free smoke got cancer, suggesting nicotine itself may be the catalyst for disease. 🌬☠️ #vaping

Kroger and Walgreens become latest retail giants to stop e-cigarette sales following spate of mysterious vaping-related illnesses that have left 19 dead. Supermarket chains Kroger and Walgreens are joining Walmart and other retail giants by ending the sales of e-cigarettes in its stores and fuel centers, amid a series of mysterious vaping-related deaths across the US which have sparked regulatory uncertainty. Kroger, which also owns Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and other store brands, announced Monday that it will cease all e-cigarette sales after selling through its current inventory. A spokesperson for Kroger cited the ‘mounting questions and increasingly-complex regulatory environment’ as the motive behind its decision. The grocer, however, confirmed they will continue to sell tobacco products throughout their stores. 🌬☠️ #vaping

First vaping death in New York confirmed: 17-year-old boy who died after using e-cigs brings US toll to 22. As of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) October 1 figures, over 1,000 people in the US were suffering from the mysterious lung damage. Massachusetts has enforced the strictest temporary ban on e-cigarettes, blocking all sales of the devices, while states like New York and Michigan have banned only flavored e-cigarettes. 🌬☠️ #vaping

Is vaping safer than smoking? Depends who you ask, and what scientific study they point to. In the past few months, vaping has turned into something critics say is little – or even no better – than smoking. The claim is central to the future of electronic cigarettes. Within weeks, the Food and Drug Administration is likely to finalize its ban on flavored e-cigarettes. About a month after that, vaping companies will have to remove flavored e-cigarettes from stores until they receive FDA approval to reenter the market. By May 2020, companies have to submit costly applications to the FDA with proof that their products are safe and help enough adults quit smoking to offset the harm in creating millions of vapers who may start smoking. Products sold by the big tobacco companies that aren't popular with teens, such as Vuse, may be the only ones to pass muster, says American Vaping Association founder Gregory Conley. 🌬☠️ #vaping

Vaping death toll rises to 28: Panic over e-cigarette use across the US continues as New York City sues online stores for selling to children and Washington bans flavored vapes. Mysterious vaping illnesses have claimed the lives of 28 people in the US with the first state deaths reported in Texas, Utah and Massachusetts. Additional deaths have been confirmed in California and Georgia, bringing their respective death tolls to three and two. On Wednesday, New York City officials announced the city has has sued nearly two dozen online e-cigarette retailers, accusing them of selling their products to underage New Yorkers. The lawsuit filing comes just one day after a Bronx teenager's death became the state's first linked to the mysterious vaping illness that has struck over 1,000 Americans. Meanwhile, Washington states 120 day ban on flavored vaping products took effect on Thursday, following suit with Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. 🌬☠️ #vaping

Jeffrey Manzanares, 33, lies in the intensive care unit of the University of Utah Hospital while being treated for #vaping injury and other lung infections in Salt Lake City, Utah. Courtesy of Marisela Trujillo via REUTERS

A controversial temporary ban on the sale of all vaping products in Massachusetts can stand for now, a judge ruled Monday, saying the ban as written is likely unlawful but halting it immediately would "contravene the public interest." The decision, denying a request for an injunction from the vaping industry, is a partial win for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who enacted the strongest measure taken by any state to combat a national outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries. But Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins, in a written order, questioned the legality of components of Baker's executive order and said the four-month ban issued Sept. 24 can only remain if the commonwealth addresses the problems, USA Today reported. #vaping

Severe lung illnesses linked to vaping have claimed the lives of 34 people in the US, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Thursday. A total of 1,604 cases of the condition officials have dubbed 'EVALI,' for e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung illness, have been confirmed, with patients in every state but Alaska. Most of the victims are young adults or teenagers, though the range of ages spans from 17 to 75. Officials from the CDC, FDA and state health departments are still racing to identify what, exactly, about e-cigarettes is making people deathly ill but, as most victims reported using THC vapes, experts have warned against using these products. 🌬☠️ #vaping

A leading US health body has called for an immediate nationwide ban on all vaping devices. The American Medical Association (AMA) said the spate of deaths linked to e-cigarette use had 'shined a light' on how little experts know about them. A ban would see all products pulled from shelves that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help wean people off traditional cigarettes. But that would include every vaping device currently on the market, because none have been reviewed or approved - despite being around for more than a decade. The deadline is now next May. A total of 42 deaths have been linked to vaping in the US. And 2,172 people in every state but Alaska, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have been hospitalized with mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping. Victims' injuries have been likened to those suffered by soldiers attacked with mustard gas during World War I. 🌬☠️ #vaping

In the past week, one more American died of vaping-related illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday. The epidemic of lung illnesses seems to have peaked in September, and the latest data from US health officials suggest the crisis may at last be winding down. Still, 2,561 people have been hospitalized since the 'outbreak' began, with illnesses reported in every state and the deaths of 55 people confirmed across 27 states. And earlier this month, CDC principal deputy director Dr Anne Schuchat announced what she called a 'concerning new phenomenon': more people being readmitted to hospitals for lung illness after being discharged. US officials are also more 'confident' than ever that the vitamin E acetate, a diluting agent used in many THC vaping products, is the 'cause' of the majority of cases in the 'explosive outbreak' of the condition they call EVALI, Dr Schuchat said in a recent press briefing. ☠️ #vaping