PORTLAND, Ore. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting hundreds of new vaping-related illnesses nationwide, and so far, nine people have died.
Some in the vaping industry are trying to fight these negative headlines by posting information like the flyer below, which has been making its rounds on social media.
It was shared by vape shops in Illinois and Florida, and by hundreds of Facebook users, so we wanted to Verify: Is this poster real?
It's titled "The Truth Behind Vapor" but it's filled with statements that we either don't know or are just not true.
It claims the cause of these severe lung illnesses is illegal THC cartridges with Vitamin E acetate. We can Verify this is not true.
While New York State officials believe Vitamin E may have been in the cartridges used by people who become sick, the CDC has not pinpointed the exact cause, and the Vitamin E connection is still under investigation.
This part of the graphic also states that 85% of victims have admitted to using illegal THC cartridges. This is an uncited fact, and has not been reported by any government or investigating agency.
And in the bottom part of the graphic, it says illegal black market THC cartridges may contain deadly oil ingredients. This is true, but we have no idea what's in black market cartridges. Here in Oregon, we don't know all ingredients of THC cartridges because the state doesn't test additives.
And while the FDA does regulate nicotine products, these products have not been ruled out as a possible cause linked to these illnesses and deaths.
We can Verify much of this poster is not true.
Do you have something you'd like us to Verify? Email Verify@KGW.com.