James T. Snyder Law, PLLC
Personal Injury Attorney

Consumer RIGHTS & Fraud

E-Cigarettes and Vaping Illnesses and Injuries

Photo of young man vaping, with vapor in a huge cloud emerging from his mouth and nose, almost covering his face.

On April 3, 2019, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued a stark warning to Americans about the deadly health dangers of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), or “vaping” -- which are now being recognized as anything but “harmless” water vapor.

In his Statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., warned about “the recent epidemic rise of youth e-cigarette use that’s threatening the commitment we’ve made to reduce tobacco use among our nation’s children.” The FDA noted that e-cigarettes can deliver nicotine chemicals “at higher levels than conventional cigarettes,” that vaping can cause seizures and convulsions in young people, and e-cigarettes can cause pre-cancerous changes to airways and lungs in users. Review the FDA warning letter here:

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-fda-commissioner-scott-gottlieb-md-and-principal-deputy-commissioner-amy-abernethy-md-phd

In addition to nicotine addiction and seizures, a growing body of medical evidence indicates that e-cigarettes can cause pulmonary toxicity and tissue damage, which may reveal itself as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (“BOOP”), or cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (“COP”), a lung condition in which the bronchioles and alveoli become inflamed and plugged with connective tissue. 

See, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147174/

That’s not all.  An April 24, 2019, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study of e-cigarette products sold in the U.S. found they were contaminated with bacterial and fungal toxins.  From a press release for that Harvard study:

The study, which examined 75 popular e-cigarette products--cartridges (single use) and e-liquids (refillable material)--found that 27% contained traces of endotoxin, a microbial agent found on Gram-negative bacteria [a type of bacteria associated with E. Coli and chlamydia], and that 81% contained traces of glucan, which is found in the cell walls of most fungi. Exposure to these microbial toxins has been associated with myriad health problems in humans, including asthma, reduced lung function, and inflammation.

See, https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/htcs-mcf042219.php

The full Harvard study can be found here: See, https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP3469

Recent news articles highlight this growing threat.  the New York State Health Department is investigating multiple reports of serious vaping-related injuries, including several near-death incidents. Symptoms include heart attack-type chest pain, flu-like illness, shortness of breath, fatigue and vomiting. Doctors say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the body apparently reacting to a caustic substance that someone breathed in:

See, https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/08/16/new-york-breathing-illness-vaping/

The New York State Health Department is so concerned about the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping that it has just issued a formal statewide health advisory, warning individuals to stop the use of e-cigarettes:

https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/campaign/e-cigarettes/

In Chicago it has recently been reported that young people have been hospitalized after experiencing severe breathing problems possibly related to vaping. including chest pains, shortness of breath, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea after vaping:

https://www.fox32chicago.com/amp/news/local/six-young-people-hospitalized-with-severe-vaping-related-breathing-problems 

In Wisconsin, in August 2019 the Department of Health there reported 12 cases of vaping-related severe lung disease and 13 additional cases are under investigation.  These injuries were tied to people using e-cigarettes or vape pens:

https://www.wpr.org/state-health-officials-confirm-new-cases-vaping-related-lung-disease

This is an aggressive, nation-wide sales effort by e-cigarette manufacturers using misleading safety claims, fruit flavors and high levels of nicotine to capture a new, unsuspecting generation of young Americans with their dangerous product — which can cause pneumonia, strokes, seizures, respiratory failure and death.

WHAT TO DO NEXT AND WHY CHOOSE JAMES T. SNYDER LAW?

If you or a child or young person you know under the age of 25 has experienced seizure, hemorrhagic stroke, BOOP or COP, or death due to any of these, while using e-cigarettes and/or vaping, you may be entitled to compensation.  Manufacturers should pay for the harm their e-cigarettes cause.  But if you’ve seen ads on TV or are searching the internet for an attorney to help -- you may be bewildered or completely confused by all the Google search results, 800 numbers, faceless law firms, etc. 

If so, you’ve come to the right place. 

I can help you personally. I’ve helped so many people who have been injured by the negligence of others. People want someone to talk to, to answer their questions and sort through their options regarding injuries caused by using e-cigarettes and/or vaping, without a fee or obligation -- it’s a comfort and a relief. 

So for a free, no-obligation personal consultation about your legal rights or those of a young person you know under the age of 25 who has sustained e-cigarette and vaping injuries, call me at 315-884-8888 or fill out the easy-to-complete form below. 

Learn more.  Learn your rights.  Fill out and submit this simple form today