Health Official Marks Grim Vaping Record

Alaska reports its first case of vaping-related health problems
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2019 6:00 PM CST
50th State Reports Vaping Injury
In this Friday, Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, a woman using a vaping device exhales a puff of smoke in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

Now, it's nationwide. Alaska announced Tuesday its first case of vaping-related lung injury—making it the 50th state to do so, CNN reports. "We are fortunate that we haven't identified" such a case "in Alaska until now, but it's not surprising that we have joined the rest of the nation in this outbreak," Anne Zink, Alaska's top medical officer, says in a statement. "This case heightens our concern about Alaskans who continue to use these products." The CDC has logged 2,290 vaping-related injuries and 47 fatalities up to Nov. 20, and several states have restricted or banned the sale of some vaping products, ABC News reported last month. Zink's advice? "The safest option is not to vape." (More vaping stories.)

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