GALVESTON, Texas — *Editor's Note: The above video was originally published Sept. 10, 2019*
Two new cases of lung injuries tied to vaping have been reported in Galveston County, bringing the total there to three cases.
The Galveston County Health District reports the two new cases are a man 30-35 years old and another man 20-25 years old. The previous case there was confirmed to be a man 18-22 years old. All three were hospitalized, treated and discharged.
Multiple cases have also been reported in Houston and Harris County.
“This is a serious situation. These are life-threatening illnesses even for those who are otherwise completely healthy,” Dr. Philip Keiser, Galveston County local health authority, said in a statement released Friday.
The GCHD says that as of Oct. 8, more than a thousand lung injury cases associated with the use of e-cigarettes have been reported to the CDC from 49 states. As of this publication, 26 people have died.
A North Texas woman is the state's first death linked to vaping-related lung illness. The Texas Department of State Health Services has identified 95 cases of severe lung disease in e-cigarette users.
Vaping THC linked to lung injuries
In addition to the vaping liquid containing nicotine, the vaping cartridges can also include THC, the psychoactive mind-altering compound of marijuana that produces the “high."
New data from the CDC shows a correlation between people who vaped THC products and lung illnesses related to vaping. Patients with the disease in Texas range from 13 to 75 years old, but have a median age of 22, DSHS said.
One-quarter of those affected are minors and three-quarters are male, according to DSHS. Almost 9 in 10 said they had vaped products containing THC or marijuana.
ALSO POPULAR ON KHOU.COM