Vaping Illness Update: Dank Vapes, Other THC Brands Linked To Mysterious Ailment

This image courtesy of the New York State Department of Health shows electronic cigarettes and vaping products linked to an outbreak of severe lung disease New York State Department of Health / Mike Wren

Illicit THC cartridges have been linked to the vast majority of cases of a mysterious lung ailment afflicting patients in Illinois and Wisconsin who used vaping devices and e-cigarettes as the number of people affected across the country rose to more than 805, a report published Friday indicated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as health officials from Illinois and Wisconsin said such illicit brands as Dank Vapes, a label sellers can slap on just about any product containing THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

“Dank Vapes appears to be the most prominent in a class of largely counterfeit brands, with common packaging that is easily available online and that is used by distributors to market THC-containing cartridges with no obvious centralized production or distribution,” the report said.

“We have many questions about the supply chain and the integrity of these products,” CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told reporters. “So I think that we need to have an open mind and learn a lot more about the supply chain, as well as about the contents of various products that are used within e-cigarettes or vaping to understand which of many toxins might be leading to this type of lung injury."

Two-thirds of the 86 victims interviewed by Illinois and Wisconsin health officials said they had purchased their THC cartridges from “informal sources” in the three months before they got sick. Some of those interviewed said they purchased their cartridges out-of-state, online or in vape or tobacco shops.

It was unclear whether Dank Vapes could be tied to illnesses in other states. In addition to Dank Vapes, other brands cited were Moon Rocks, Off White and TKO. Only 16% of patients said they vaped only tobacco while 36% said they vaped THC exclusively. Other patients vaped both.

Neither tobacco nor THC is suspected in the illnesses but rather some contaminant or toxin.

The CDC said Thursday the number of illnesses linked to vaping grew to 805 in 46 states, up 275 from last week, and the Virgin Islands, including 12 deaths. A 13th death was reported in North Carolina Friday. Sixty-nine percent of patients are male and 16% are less than 18 years of age.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Ned Sharpless told Congress this week the FDA have tested 150 of the 300 samples it has received. He said 70% are THC products, half of them contaminated with vitamin E acetate, a skin oil that may have been used to thicken the vaping liquid.

Health experts are advising consumers to refrain from vaping until the cause of the illness can be determined definitively. Michigan, Rhode Island and New York have enacted bans on flavored e-cigarettes and Washington state is considering one. Massachusetts imposed a four-month ban on all vaping products.