The FDA is investigating whether vaping is tied to a risk of seizures
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced an investigation into a possible risk associated with using e-cigarettes: seizures.
The FDA received 35 reports between 2010 and 2019 of e-cigarette users, mostly children and young adults, experiencing seizures after vaping, CNBC reports. Although it's unclear whether vaping was the cause of these seizures, the FDA's statement said it is "nonetheless concerned by these reported cases."
The cases seem to vary: Some people were using e-cigarettes for the first time, while some used them regularly. Some seizures occurred right away while others didn't occur until the next day. Some cases involved other substances; some people had a prior history of seizures. But despite the uncertainty, the FDA shared its investigation because "it's our job to communicate about potential safety concerns associated with the products we regulate," said Scott Gottlieb and Amy Abernethy, the commissioner and principal deputy commissioner of the FDA.
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E-cigarettes contain high concentrations of nicotine, which can be toxic if ingested in high quantities: Side effects include nausea, tremors, or in severe cases, seizures or death. It is still not confirmed whether high quantities of nicotine were responsible for the seizure reports. Read more at CNBC.
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Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
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