NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) A second person in the state of New York has died of vaping-related illness, Governor Andrew Como said on Wednesday.
"The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the second death due to a vaping-associated illness in New York - a male in his 30's from Manhattan with a reported history of using e-cigarettes and vape products," Cuomo said in a statement. "Make no mistake: this is a public health crisis and until our 'leaders' in Washington do something to stop it, more lives will be lost."
The announcement comes amid increasing pressure on President Donald Trump to ban flavored e-cigarettes that have been tied to more than 2,000 lung injuries and 40 deaths in the United States.
Cuomo also called on the US Federal government to take immediate action to combat the crisis.
"Trump has already backed down from his vow to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes - despite widespread evidence that these flavors are used to target our teens and young adults - and put the interests of the vaping industry over the lives of Americans. This is Big Tobacco all over again," the governor said.
Lawmakers opposed to Trump have criticized in recent days his apparent walk-back on an e-cigarette ban which they said was politically-motivated. Senator Maggie Hassan on Tuesday accused the president of caving to corporate interests.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said last week that data compiled on nearly 1,400 patients with lung injuries from vaping showed that 14 percent were under the age of 18. Last month, the CDC said Vitamin E acetate, an additive in some THC-containing products, was detected in patient fluid samples. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis.
