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Home » The UKVIA welcomes the latest ‘breakthrough’ findings of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The UKVIA welcomes the latest ‘breakthrough’ findings of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In response to the ‘breakthrough’ from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaping lung illnesses, a UKVIA spokesperson said:

“The UK Vaping Industry Association welcomes the latest “breakthrough” findings of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in trying to establish the most likely cause of the recent spate of vaping-related illnesses and deaths in America.

As UKVIA said in September, when reports of the outbreak first began to gain media attention – and the CDC findings now clearly suggest – it appears that the incidents in the USA are linked to people using illegal liquids, most likely black-market marijuana products (THC oils), particularly where the illicit products have been “cut” – or expanded – by the vitamin E acetate additive.

UKVIA again stresses that products such as these are illegal in the UK, which is why there have been no similar cases reported here and why there is no link to the flavoured, nicotine based vaping products smokers are using to quit.

Although the findings do not entirely rule out other possible compounds or ingredients that may be causing the lung injuries, the CDC described the lab results as a “breakthrough” and said further research was needed. CDC tested for a wide range of substances that might be found, including plant oils and petroleum distillates, such as mineral oil.

Public Health England have rightly drawn a distinction between the situation in the USA and the UK; in the UK there is a rigorously regulated market overseen by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which monitors banned ingredients.

As a trade association, the UKVIA will continue our discussions with the public health community to help share best practice and advice. As always, we advise consumers to only purchase their vaping products from reputable retailers where they can seek expert advice if they require it. But it is important to remember that the advice from Public Health England remains the same – vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking and it is the most effective way for UK’s remaining 7 million smokers to quit.”

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