Mysterious Vaping Illness Update: Walmart To Ban E-Cigarettes

Walmart said Friday it would stop selling e-cigarettes at its U.S. locations as the number of victims of a mysterious ailment linked to vaping continues to rise.

"Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam's Club US locations," the company said in a statement. "We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory."

Earlier this year, Walmart (WMT), which has 5,000 U.S. locations, raised the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 phase out the sale of fruit and dessert-flavored e-cigarettes. Company shares were 0.13% lower after Friday's announcement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this week there had been at least 530 cases of the lung-damaging, vaping-linked malady in 38 states, including seven deaths. An eighth death was announced late Thursday by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

"This is an unfortunate case of a young man with no prior lung illness who started vaping because of chronic pain issues," Dr. Michael Plisco, Mercy Hospital St. Louis critical care pulmonologist and medical director of Mercy's extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program, said in a press release.

"He started out with shortness of breath and it rapidly progressed and deteriorated, developing into what is called acute respiratory distress syndrome. Once the lungs are injured by vaping, we don't know how quickly it worsens and if it depends on other risk factors."

New York became the first state to ban flavored vape products, which are particularly attractive, followed by Michigan. Other states and cities are expected to follow suit, and the Trump administration also is drawing up regulations.

“We can’t allow people to get sick. And we can’t have our kids be so affected.,” President Trump said last week.

The CDC said nearly three-quarters of those who have been stricken by the lung illness are male and 67% are between the ages of 18 and 34. The illnesses have been linked to both THC – the psychoactive chemical in marijuana – and nicotine products. A thickening agent, vitamin E acetate, has been detected in a number of the samples analyzed.

It was unclear whether the illnesses were related to legal or illicit vaping products, but officials cautioned against buying street drugs.