OREANDA-NEWS. At least 18 people died in the United States, and 1080 were diagnosed with pulmonary disease due to electronic cigarette smoking, or "vaping". This is stated in a report published on Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to it, fatalities have been reported in 15 states. Specialists of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the majority of cases (70%) are men, while in 80% of cases we are talking about people under the age of 35 years. Of these, 16% are adolescents who are under the age of 18.

In recent months, debate has intensified in the United States over whether vapes have a negative effect on health. In early September, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Hazard announced that the United States authorities want to significantly limit the sale of aromatic electronic cigarettes in the country. In August, the Illinois Department of Public Health recorded the country's first e-cigarette death by smoking. The deceased “vaper” was diagnosed with a severe respiratory illness. According to experts, manufacturers of flavored mixtures will have to contact the FDA to check the substances used in liquids.

In January, Scott Gottlieb, head of the Food and Drug Administration, has threatened electronic cigarette and vape manufacturers with a complete ban on the sale of their products if the number of smoking teenagers increases in 2019. He cited statistics collected by the agency, according to which the number of teenagers smoking in the US has doubled in recent years due to the availability of electronic cigarettes. The quantity of senior “vapers” in 2018 increased by 78%, among students in grades 5-8 - by 48%. As a result, over 1.5 million young men and women became dependent on this habit from 2017 to 2018.