October 01, 2019
Source/Image licensed from Ingram Images
A northern New Jersey woman's death is now being tied to the national vaping epidemic, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
The death of a New Jersey woman is now being tied to the recent surge of vaping deaths across the country, the New Jersey Department of Health announced Tuesday.
The woman died in August. Her death was placed under investigation after Gov. Phil Murphy created the state's Electronic Smoking Device Task Force last month, health officials said.
The woman was an adult from northern New Jersey, according to health officials. They did not release additional identifying information, nor did they detail her medical case.
“The New Jersey Department of Health is saddened to announce a death associated with this outbreak," Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement Tuesday. "This death underscores the potential dangers associated with vaping."
Federal health officials now place the number of deaths tied to vaping at 12, along with two probable cases. The New Jersey woman's death is being treated as a probable case, according to the Department of Health, based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's case definitions.
The CDC is investigating more than 800 cases of lung injuries tied to vaping, as of last week.
Health officials have yet to determine a specific cause of the injuries and deaths. Most of the people who have developed lung injuries reported vaping THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. But others only vaped nicotine products.
The CDC urges anyone concerned about the health risks of vaping to refrain from using e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
The Trump administration is currently working on regulations that would force flavored e-cigarettes to be removed from the market until they're approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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