This will be a very short weekly news roundup. Right now, all eyes are on the developments in the US regarding the recent spate of lung complications tied to vaping, let's take a look at the latest...

Possible contaminant found in vaping lung disease case

With the fifth death from lung disease tied to vaping this past week, authorities have identified a potential cause: vitamin E acetate. This is an oil that is commonly used in beauty products and nutritional supplements, but it is not safe for inhalation.

Supposedly what could happen when vaping this oil is that at very high temperatures, the oil vaporizes and is inhaled; however, unlike traditional vape juice ingredients, this oil returns to it's liquid state once it is cooled inside the lungs and then remains there, covering critical parts of the lung with an oil that the lungs can not purge.

Furthermore, all the products testing positive for (high quantities of) this oil are THC (cannabis) cartridges - the nicotine products tested did not contain this oil.

How exactly this oil made it's way into these carts is still unknown, but it seems that mostly these are black market products with no regulation overseeing their manufacturing. In other words, it's like buying a hamburger from a guy on a street corner with no food stand or anything...just buying food from a random person - I personally don't know many people who would eat that burger, but when it comes to drugs, especially recreational drugs, people will use very questionable products.

People warned to stop eating, as food poisoning epidemic grows.

That's not really a quote, or a even a headline....it's something you would never see anywhere. And yet, that's exactly what they are telling people to do: stop vaping because 5 people died. Tragic as that is, 5 (or 400, if you take all people affected) out of 10 million (estimated US vapers) does not really amount to a significant percentage to justify such drastic action.

Now I could go on and on about this, but instead I'll just link these articles and you can read them for yourself if you are interested.

• E-cigarette users warned ‘stop vaping NOW’ as FIFTH person dies of mysterious lung condition | The Sun UK
• Contaminant found in marijuana vaping products linked to deadly lung illnesses, tests show | The Washington Post
• Chemical contaminant identified as ‘key focus’ of investigation into vaping illness | The Verge
• Vitamin E chemical is 'key focus' in vaping illness investigation, health officials say | CNN
• The mysterious spate of vape-related deaths and illnesses continues to grow, confounding experts. Here's what officials knew and when. | Business Insider SA
• What You Need to Know About Vaping-Related Lung Illness | The NY Times

Other articles

• Amid Vaping Crackdown, Michigan to Ban Sale of Flavored E-Cigarettes | The New York Times
• Michigan will be the first state to ban the sale of flavored vaping products | CNN
• Michigan Just Became the First State to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes in an Effort to Keep Kids 'Safe' | TIME Magazine
• Legal e-cigs in the clear in US epidemic, but pressure for bans continues | Vaping Post
• Authorities must use accuracy in public health warnings about vaping lung disease outbreak | Vaping Post
• Gottlieb: Vape-Related Lung Disease is Caused By Illegal Products | Vaping Post