Fourteen teens and young adults have been hospitalized in Wisconsin and Illinois for breathing problems potentially linked to vaping, according to health officials from both states. In Wisconsin, eleven young adults were sent to the hospital with severe lung disease, an increase from the eight reported in July. Three young adults in Illinois were hospitalized. The severity of the lung damage has varied with symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and weight loss, while some teens have been placed on ventilators after being taken to the intensive care unit, barely able to breathe.
It is a misconception that the smoke emitted from vaping products is water vapor, rather it is aerosol, made up of ultrafine particles that exacerbate respiratory ailments like asthma and constrict arteries which could cause a heart attack. The American Lung Association has always held the position that e-cigarette use is not safe for youth whose lungs are still developing.