An adult older than 40 from Tulare County has died from complications related to using an electronic cigarette, health officials confirmed Monday evening.
“With sadness, we report that there has been a death of a Tulare County resident suspected to be related to severe pulmonary injury associated with vaping,” Dr. Karen Haught, Tulare County public health officer, said in a statement.
“The Tulare County Public Health Branch would like to warn all residents that any use of e-cigarettes poses a possible risk to the health of the lungs and can potentially cause severe lung injury that may even lead to death,” Haught said. “Long-term effects of vaping on health are unknown. Anyone considering vaping should be aware of the serious potential risk associated with vaping.”
A doctor had been treating the person, who had a history of vaping, for the last several weeks for a pulmonary respiratory illness, said Tammie Weyker-Adkins, a public information officer at Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency. The person had other “complicating health issues” but was being treated for the vaping-related illness, she said.
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