Connecticut reports first vaping-related death

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has reported the state”™s first death related to vaping.

The identity of the victim and the details of the death were not disclosed, although the Public Health Department  noted the patient was between 30 and 39 years old and “died last week while hospitalized for multiple medical conditions.” This marks the 19th confirmed death nationally tied to vaping-related lung injury.

The agency added that another Connecticut resident with vaping-related illness is hospitalized and there have been 25 reported cases of illness related to e-cigarettes or vaping devices, including 11 in Fairfield County.

“I am asking Connecticut residents to not use e-cigarette or vaping products,” Public Health Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell said. “If you choose to continue vaping, you should not buy vaping products off the street or from another person, including a friend, or modify or add any other unregulated substances to these products.”

In a press statement, Gov. Ned Lamont said his administration was working with public health experts and their counterparts in neighboring states on “developing a comprehensive, effective response to what is becoming a growing public health crisis.” Last week, Lamont met with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to set up an Oct. 11 summit that would study a uniform cross-border approach to policies related to e-cigarette sales as well as the legalization of recreational marijuana. New York is the first state to ban flavored e-cigarette sales, but Lamont has not committed Connecticut to enacting a similar prohibition.