Editor's Note: The above video is a report on Spokane vaping shops selling flavoring additives and unflavored vaping juice separately.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington State Department of Health banned vapor products containing Vitamin E acetate following new findings by the CDC linking the substance to the rash of vaping-related illnesses.
The new ban comes after the state Board of Health approved a ban on flavored-vaping products in October following a string of illnesses and deaths across the country. The ban was originally set forth by an executive order by Gov. Jay Inslee, which the board then voted to implement.
The WDOH announced the addition of Vitamin E acetate to its already implemented ban on flavored-vaping products on Monday.
“We are deeply concerned by a new study finding Vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury in patients’ lungs,” Washington Secretary of Health John Wiesman is quoted as saying in a press release. “While we still need more research to identify a definitive cause, the evidence we have linking Vitamin E acetate to the outbreak demands immediate action to protect the public’s health."
Wiesman also said in the release that they are aware there may be more than one cause.
The release said the substance is often added to vapor products as a thickening agent.
Keith Grellner, chairman of the board, said the state will continue to monitor new findings and will base future decisions on these findings.
This new ban will go into effect as soon as it is filed by the state and will last for 120 days, according to the press release. The ban on flavored-vaping products is set to end on February 7, 2020, but could be extended.
The following video is a report on customers going to Post Falls to buy flavored vaping products.