Experts issue life-threatening vape warning after 16-year-old left critically ill after using one
Experts are warning people of the dangers of allergic reactions caused by vapes following a number of cases of children being hospitalised, including a 16-year-old who suffered from a 'catastrophic respiratory illness'.
Some flavours of vapes can contain allergens, particularly if the flavour of the vape is intending to imitate a food that would normally contain them.
Allergic reactions can also come from propane glycol, a common ingredient of vape liquid that can cause symptoms like wheezing and hives.
Second-hand smoke from other people vaping can also trigger reactions.
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As a result, campaigners are arguing that vapes should be labelled with information about possible allergens they might contain, something they're not currently required to do.
The Times reports that the charity Natasha Allergy Research Foundation is highlighting concerns over vapes after a number of children were hospitalised for having an allergic reaction.
The charity's founder Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE said there were 'extremely concerning' reports of allergic reactions from the second-hand smoke of vapes, and that 'the evidence linking vape smoke and allergic reactions is still emerging'.
One such case of this occurred with Ewan Fisher, who became ill at the age of 16 after he'd been vaping for a few months.
In 2017 he ended up being taken to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust after suffering a 'catastrophic' respiratory failure and had to be placed on life support.
Fisher was treated for hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which is an allergic reaction to something breathed in that triggers an inflammation of lung tissue.
After his allergic reaction Ewan had to be put on a specific type of life support called 'extra corporeal membrane oxygenation' (Ecmo) where an artificial lung puts oxygen in the blood and pumps it around the body.
Doctors who treated Ewan said that vaping was to blame for his allergic reaction and having to be placed on life support, and they knew of other cases in the UK where a similar thing had happened.
Ewan had suffered from a fever before he was hospitalised, saying after his recovery that he had 'a choking cough and I was struggling to breathe'.
His mum got very worried about him and took him to hospital, where he 'ended up in intensive care and needed two forms of life support' as he admitted he 'almost died'.
Ewan's recovery took 14 months in total, with the teenager having started vaping in an attempt to quit smoking.
According to The Times there has been a dramatic rise in vaping since the pandemic, and that last year over 350 people were hospitalised due to complications from vaping including 50 children.
Selling vapes to under 18s is illegal in the UK but it obviously happens a lot, and the NHS reckons that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds have vaped while one in 10 are regularly huffing and puffing away on them.
Joe Harker