PORT TOWNSEND — None of the 19 cases of vaping-associated lung disease reported statewide have been from the North Olympic Peninsula, but Jefferson County’s health officer thinks many more exist.
“That’s probably the tip of the iceberg,” Tom Locke said Thursday during the Jefferson County Board of Health meeting. “It’s probably more common than we realize. We just don’t have the reporting system set up for it yet.”
Locke presented state numbers and current advice from the state Department of Health, which is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with local jurisdictions to learn more about the associated lung injury.
Locke said the CDC has identified vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern when it’s combined with vapor products.
“It’s a sticky, honey-like substance that can be quite good for you if you put it on your skin,” he said. “Using it to dilute vaping compounds appears to be quite injurious.”
It’s not the only one, Locke said.
“The precise cause or potentially multiple causes is still unknown,” he said.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued an executive order that bans the sale of flavored vapor products, including flavored THC, and requires retailers to display a sign warning the risk of lung disease associated with the use of vapor products.
The order became effective Oct. 10 and expires Feb. 7.
On Nov. 18, the state Board of Health banned the sale of vapor products that contain vitamin E acetate. The rule will go into effect when it’s filed with the state code reviser’s office and will remain in effect for 120 days, according to the state Department of Health.
While there have been some reported deaths nationally, none of the 19 cases in Washington state have been fatal, Locke said.
King County has seven reported cases, while Snohomish County has four, Spokane County has three and Kitsap County has two, according to the state Department of Health.
Seven of the cases involve adults 30-39 years old. Five involve ages 10-19, and four have been cited for ages 20-29, according to the state Department of Health.
“Very few people think vitamin E is the only culprit, especially the underground compound,” Locke said.
He described the difference between some regulated, over-the-counter products and others that people buy separately to mix with their nicotine or THC content.
“I have not been able to see a breakdown in black market versus regulated,” Locke said, adding that he knows of a “vigorous black market in nicotine.”
“You can buy it from China and mix it up yourself,” he said. “That’s still something that’s very actively watched as a potential public health outbreak.”
Vicki Kirkpatrick, the director of the Jefferson County health department, said the harmful products aren’t limited to one sector.
“It’s important to note it’s not all black market because some of the cases have come from licensed retailers,” she said.
Locke said vapors are exposed to many different things.
“They may be getting products from regulated sources and unregulated sources, and then all of a sudden they get sick, and they’re looking back [at a cause], and it’s tough to track because they’re looking at the past 90 days,” he said.
Board Vice Chair Sheila Westerman said the uncertainty is scary.
“It’s kind of frightening, and it’s sad because when it first started, it was a way for people to back off on smoking cigarettes,” she said. “We never know as much as we think we do, do we?”
The state Department of Health recommends not smoking or vaping. Youth, young adults and pregnant or breastfeeding women should never use the products, the department said.
It states if people do use the products to monitor health symptoms such as coughing, shortness or breath or chest pains and seek medical attention if there are concerns.
“Never buy e-cigarettes or vapor products off the street, and do not modify or add any substances to these products not intended by the manufacturer,” the Department of Health said in a press release.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
