Vaping & Lung Injuries (EVALI)

In 2019, a sudden outbreak of severe lung injuries, some causing death, occurred in North America, mainly in the USA. Vitamin E acetate was identified as the additive in illegal THC cartridges that caused the injuries.

The messages from authorities, experts and health-related nonprofits through mainstream media, conflated two distinctively different activities: vaping THC cartridges and vaping nicotine eliquid.

THE RESULT WAS, AND IS, A MISINFORMED PUBLIC AND HEALTH COMMUNITY.

Two resulting travesties occurred:

First, failing to adequately warn cannabis (THC) users caused unnecessary injuries.

Second, implying that nicotine vaping was causing the lung injuries drove thousands of vapers back to the most lethal form of nicotine: tobacco cigarettes.

Pages in this section:

The Story

Explore the events of the outbreak, the investigation to identify the cause, the actions that were taken and how the outbreak was resolved.

The Deception

Health-related nonprofits and authorities utilized media to spread fear about vaping. Their communications omitted that EVALI was not caused from vaping nicotine.

What went wrong in Canada

What went wrong in the USA

The Motive

Health Canada approved the sale of THC cartridges during the outbreak and EVALI could spread a fearful light on this new product.

Canada gov't THC cartridges

Payments to American state governments through the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) are proportional to cigarette sales; vaping is a threat to cigarette sales.

State governments & the MSA

The Truth

The UK reviewed the science on vaping around 2014: before the narratives were formulated and distributed to sovereign nations. They stand alone in being fully informed on and benefiting their citizens with tobacco harm reduction.

Expert warnings from the UK

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