Vaping Illnesses Due to Vitamin E Contamination in Cannabis Products

I don't vape and generally wouldn't care about this topic, except that the vaping industry seems to be increasingly coming under attack in the media, which has perked up my interest. Currently, the news media is piling on the anti-vaping train by citing instances of "mysterious" lung infections. Implicit in these reports is that there must be something inherent in vaping to cause the infections. For instance the lede paragraph from a New York Times article today on one such instance reports:

A third person has died from a severe lung illness linked to the use of a vaping device. The death was confirmed on Friday by the state of Indiana, which said that an “individual over the age of 18” had died, but provided no additional information about the patient or case, citing privacy laws.

Which is about all most people are going to read. Although the article goes on to discuss that scientists are looking at possible contamination, it does not anywhere mention that the contamination is linked to specific types of products, leaving it open that it could be something relating to any vaping product. A New York Post article from yesterday similarly contains a general scare about vaping:

      An Illinois teen issued a stern warning to youngsters from his hospital bed to stop vaping — saying the habit has left his lungs looking like those of a man more than 50 years older.

      Adam Hergenreder, 18, of Gurnee, cannot breathe without oxygen tubes since being admitted Saturday to a hospital in Libertyville with a “vaping-induced acute lung injury,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

      The teen — who started vaping at 16, with mint and mango his preferred flavors — told the newspaper he ignored warnings to stop from teachers, parents and health officials until it was nearly too late. He was rushed to the hospital after days of uncontrolled vomiting — and faces up to months of recovery, with the possibility of permanent damage to his lungs from scarring due to inflammation.

      “People just see that little pod and think, how could that do anything to my body?” Hergenreder said Tuesday from Advocate Condell Medical Center. “I’m glad I could be an example and show people that [vaping products] aren’t good at all. They will mess up your lungs.”

       But that doesn't seem to be the case. Rather, "US scientists suspect vitamin E contamination in cannabis e-cig liquids is to blame for lung damage." From the article:

       Nearly all of the samples of cannabis e-cigarette liquids tested contained the same oil derived from vitamin E, the Food and Drug Administration reportedly said in a briefing with state health officials on the call. 

       According to previous reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many but not all of the 215 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses involved cannabis and bootleg products. 

      FDA experts told the state officials that the oil, which has been associated with similar symptoms of severe lung infection was found in 10 of the 18 samples of cannabis e-cig liquids they tested. 

      State officials told the Post that no unusual contaminants had been detected in the samples of regular nicotine vaping products they'd collected and tested from patients.  

And in fact, deeper in the article about Adam Hergenreder, we learn that he switched from normal vaping products to using cannabis based products that he bought through a street dealer.