THE
THE NUMBER OF VAPING-RELATED ILLNESSES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY... HAS RISEN
AGAIN.
MOSTLY AMONG YOUNG
MEN... WHO'VE VAPED
T-H-C PRODUCTS.
THERE HAVE NOW BEEN
MORE THAN 2
THOUSAND PEOPLE
NATIONWIDE...
DIAGNOSED WITH A
MYSTERIOUS VAPING-
RELATED ILLNESS
SINCE LAST SUMMER.
AND WHILE MOST
SURVIVE... SOME
AREN'T SO LUCKY.
OUR MICHAEL WOOTEN
BREAKS DOWN THE
DANGERS --
ESPECIALLY FOR
TEENS...
AND PUTS SOME
POPULAR VAPE
PRODUCTS... UNDER
THE MICROSCOPE... IN
THIS 2 ON YOUR SIDE
ORIGINAL
INVESTIGATION.
ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION.
JUST
JUST FIVE
JUST FIVE YEARS AGO... VAPING WASN'T EVEN IN MOST DICTIONARIES.
NOW -- IT DOMINATES
HEADLINES...
"THE DEADLY VAPING
EPIDEMIC..."
"VAPING-RELATED
EPIDEMIC..." "VAPING-RELATED DEATHS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY."
"PEOPLE VAPING MORE
AND MORE."
FROM MYSTERY
VAPING-RELATED
ILLNESSES ... TO LOCAL
BUSINESSES "ILLEGALLY"
SELLING TO TEENS ...
AND OUR TEST: WHAT'S
ACTUALLY IN E-CIG
PRODUCTS?
TONIGHT -- WE'RE
CLEARING THE AIR... ON
VAPING!
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION...
"THIS IS REALLY WHAT
COULD HAPPEN..."
THIS WAS AN
OTHERWISE HEALTHY
TEEN...
AFTER HE INHALED A
"TAINTED" E-CIGARETTE.
TRYSTON ZOHFELD
SPENT ALMOST 3 WEEKS
IN THE HOSPITAL.
"IT'S A BIG DEAL. IT'S
NOT SOMETHING TO
LOOK OVER."
HE'S FINE NOW...
OTHERS AREN'T.
MORE THAN 2-
THOUSAND PEOPLE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
HAVE GOTTEN LUNG
DISEASES BECAUSE OF
VAPING.
AT LEAST 39 HAVE DIED.
IN WESTERN NEW
YORK... THERE ARE
CONFIRMED OR
PROBABLE LUNG
ILLNESS CASES IN ERIE,
NIAGARA, GENESEE AND
CATTARAUGUS
COUNTIES.
CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES. STATE HEALTH REFUSES
TO SAY HOW MANY
CASES THERE ARE IN
EACH COUNTY... ONLY
RANGES.
SO THERE ARE
BETWEEN 8 AND 21 IN
OUR REGION.
BUT "WHY" ARE THESE
VICTIMS GETTING SICK?
"VAPES OR E-
CIGARETTES WORK BY
HEATING A LIQUID AND
TURNING IT INTO AN
AEROSOL THAT
SOMEONE INHALES. THE
PRODUCTS CONTAIN
NICOTINE . THC . CBD
. OR A COMBINATION.
ACCORDING TO THE C-
D-C . MOST OF THE
PATIENTS WHO'VE BEEN
SICK SAID THEY USED AN
E-CIGARETTE
CONTAINING T-H-C. BUT
THE LUNGS ARE TRICKY.
IT CAN SOMETIMES TAKE
WEEKS TO SEE THE
SYMPTOMS. SOME OF
THE PATIENTS IN THE
OUTBREAK HAVE
REPORTED: A CHRONIC
COUGH . SHORTNESS
OF BREATH . AND
CHEST PAIN. THERE'S
ALSO THE CHANCE FOR
NAUSEA, VOMITING, AND
DIARRHEA. AND SOME
FATIGUE, FEVER, OR
ABDONIMAL PAIN."
THE INDUSTRY IS QUICK
TO POINT OUT... BLACK
MARKET PRODUCTS ARE
SUSPECTED IN THE
SICKNESSES... WITH THE
C-D-C HONING IN ON
VITAMIN E ACETATE.
ANDREW OSBORNE
OWNS A VAPE SHOP IN
SOUTH BUFFALO... AND
IS VICE PRESIDENT OF
THE STATE VAPOR
ASSOCIATION.
"ZERO OF THESE CASES
HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED
TO ANY PRODUCT IN THE
LEGAL NICOTINE VAPING
INDUSTRY."
BUT BEYOND THE
MYSTERY ILLNESSES...
THE INDUSTRY MUST
ANSWER FOR THE
VAPING EPIDEMIC...
AMONG YOUNG
PEOPLE...
"EVERYONE THOUGHT IT
WAS AN OKAY
ALTERNATIVE TO
SMOKING."
"I HONESTLY THINK IT'S
THE SMOKE. PEOPLE
LOVE BLOWING OUT
SMOKE"
"THE PORTABILITY OF
THEM, THE FLAVORS
AND THE BUZZ AND THE
SMOKE."
ISAIAH, RYAN AND
TANNER ARE 3 OF THE
ESTIMATED 4 "MILLION"
AMERICAN HIGH
SCHOOLERS WHO HAVE
VAPED.
"I FIRST STARTED
VAPING IN 8TH GRADE -
ONE OF MY FRIENDS
WAS TALKING ABOUT A
JUUL AND THEY WERE
TALKING ABOUT HOW
IT'S COOL AND IT HAS
NICOTINE BUT IT'S NOT
AS ADDICTING AS
CIGARETTES. AND I WAS
LIKE OKAY, I'LL TRY IT."
VAPING USE HAS
EXPLODED AMONG
TEENS HERE IN NEW
YORK STATE... WITH
ALMOST A THIRD
OF ALL MIDDLE AND
HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS HAVING
TRIED VAPING.
THAT'S 400-THOUSAND
KIDS.
AMONG HIGH SCHOOL
SENIORS...
ONLY A QUARTER
HAD TRIED VAPING
BACK IN 2014.
THE MOST RECENT
SURVEY SHOWS THAT'S
JUMPED TO MORE THAN
HALF
USE IS NOW HIGHER
AMONG GIRLS... THAN
BOYS
.
BOYS .
BOYS . AND NOT
. AND NOT
. AND NOT SURPRISINGLY... THE
OLDER THEY GET... THE
MORE LIKELY THEY'VE
TRIED E-CIGARETTES.
6TH 6.9% 7TH 13.8% 8TH
19.5% 9TH 33.3% 10TH
45.6% 11TH 46.7% 12TH
56.2%
"I WAS NEVER TOLD NOT
TO VAPE. I WAS TOLD
NOT TO SMOKE."
PEER
PEER PRESSURE HASN'T BEEN LIMITED TO SCHOOL.
KIDS HAVE BEEN
INUNDATED WITH
"ONLINE" MARKETING...
ESPECIALLY ON APPS
LIKE INSTAGRAM AND
SNAPCHAT.
"BECAUSE OF
INFLUENCERS YOU
KNOW. TAKING HITS OF
VAPES AND SAYING - 'OH
THIS IS SO GOOD, IT'S
BETTER THAN
CIGARETTES, YOU
SHOULD TRY IT.'"
A CONGRESSIONAL
MEMO SAYS VAPING
GIANT "JUUL" PAID
SCHOOLS 10-
THOUSAND... 89-
THOUSAND... EVEN 134-
THOUSAND DOLLARS...
TO GET ACCESS TO
STUDENTS. THE MEMO
CALLED IT A
SOPHISTICATED
PROGRAM THAT
TARGETED TEENAGERS
AND CHILDREN AS
YOUNG AS 8 YEARS OLD
IN ORDER TO BECOME
THE NATION'S LARGEST
SELLER OF E-
CIGARETTES.
IN ONE INSTANCE,
REPRESENTATIVES TOLD
STUDENTS JUUL'S
PRODUCTS WERE
--QUOTE-- "TOTALLY
SAFE."
DOCTORS DISAGREE.
"NON-SMOKERS,
PEOPLE WHO DON'T
HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE
WITH CIGARETTES, THE
MESSAGE IS
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT
TOUCH THESE THINGS.
IT IS JUST NOT WORTH
DOING THAT CHEMICAL
EXPERIMENT IN YOUR
BODY."
YOU HAVE TO BE 21 TO
LEGALLY PURCHASE
VAPING PRODUCTS IN
THIS STATE... AND IN A
LOT OF OTHER PLACES.
SO HOW ARE KIDS --
GETTING THE E-CIGS?
"I HAD A PLUG."
A PLUG IS A PERSON...
OF AGE... WHO BUYS THE
PRODUCTS "FOR" THE
KID.
TEENS ALSO GO
ONLINE... AND LIE ABOUT
THEIR AGE ON SITES
THAT HAVE WEAK
VERIFICATION.
AND THEN YOU HAVE
STORES... THAT JUST
DON'T FOLLOW THE LAW.
2 ON YOUR SIDE GOT
INSPECTION REPORTS
FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS...
FROM THE F-D-A'S
CENTER FOR TOBACCO
PRODUCTS.
ACROSS THE STATE --
INCLUDING NEW YORK
CITY -- INSPECTORS
REPORTED 86
INSTANCES IN WHICH
STORES SOLD VAPING
PRODUCTS TO MINORS.
A WHOPPING 53% OF
THOSE VIOLATIONS
WERE IN OUR REGION.
IN MOST CASES... THE
BUSINESS GOT A
WARNING LETTER.
BUT 8 STORES WERE
REPEAT OFFENDERS --
AND FACED FINES...
FROM A FEW HUNDRED
BUCKS... UP TO SEVERAL
THOUSAND.
THE CITGO IN
LANCASTER WAS HIT
WITH THE BIGGEST
PENALTY --
ALMOST 6 GRAND... FOR
HAVING AT LEAST 5
VIOLATIONS IN A 3-YEAR
PERIOD.
OF COURSE MANY VAPE
SHOPS... PLAY BY THE
RULES...
"IT'S STILL A PRODUCT
MEANT FOR ADULTS
THAT SHOULD BE
REGULATED. AND IT
SHOULD STILL BE
ALLOWED BECAUSE IT'S
A FREE COUNTRY IT'S
OUR CHOICE."
"AS LONG AS IT'S NOT
GOING TO BE HURTING
SOMEONE ELSE, THEN I
THINK IT'S OUR CHOICE."
"WHICH BRINGS US TO A
FINAL QUESTION... FOR
FOLKS WHO "ARE" OF
AGE
AGE AND
AGE AND GETTING THE PRODUCTS LEGALLY... CAN "YOU" TRUST
WHAT'S ACTUALLY
INSIDE THEM?"
WE PURCHASED 6
DIFFERENT VAPING
LIQUIDS AND HIRED
LIGHT SCALE LABS,
WHICH TESTED THEM
FOR 130 DIFFERENT
CHEMICALS.
THESE 5 PRODUCTS
PASSED GOVERNMENT
STANDARDS.
BUT THE "FRESH HEMP"
BRAND C-B-D VAPE
CARTRIDGE... HAD "NO"
C-B-D IN IT.
INSTEAD... IT CONTAINED
LEAD.
THERE'S NO NATIONAL
STANDARD FOR SAFE
LEAD LEVELS IN VAPING
PRODUCTS... BUT
CALIFORNIA HAS SET ITS
OWN STANDARD.
AND THE CARTRIDGE WE
TESTED... HAD LEAD 800
TIMES THE CALIFORNIA
LIMIT.
"THAT'S VERY TOXIC.
YEA THAT'S VERY, VERY
TOXIC."
JUUL SAID IN A
STATEMENT... THAT IT
USES THIRD PARTY
TESTING... TO MAKE
SURE EVERY LOT OF E-
LIQUID IS SAFE.
BUT THIS
PULMONOLOGIST
WORRIES ABOUT EVEN
SEEMINGLY SAFE
INGREDIENTS...
BECAUSE...
INGREDIENTS... BECAUSE... "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
HAPPENS TO ALL THOSE
CHEMICALS WHEN THEY
GET HEATED AND THEN
INHALED."
ONE OF THE BURNING
QUESTIONS... AMONG
MANY... SURROUNDING
AN INDUSTRY CLOUDED
IN CONTROVERSY.
I'M MICHAEL WOOTEN,
CHANNEL 2 NEWS.