WASHINGTON — Health officials investigating a nationwide outbreak of vaping-related illnesses have, for the first time, listed the vape brands that are most commonly linked to hospitalizations.
Most of the nearly 2,300 people who has suffered lung damage were vaping liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana.
In a report released Friday, the government listed the THC-containing products that hospitalized patients most often said they’d been using.
Dank Vapes was the brand cited by more than half of patients. But it's not a licensed product coming from one business: It's empty packaging that can be ordered from the internet.
The report noted that the diversity of THC-containing products reported by patients stresses that there's not likely just a single brand at fault for the outbreak.
As of Tuesday, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have reported 2,291 patients hospitalized with vaping-related lung illness, according to the CDC.
The report added that data suggests the vaping outbreak might have peaked in mid-September. The CDC said that since Sept. 15 there has been a steady decline in the number of hospitalized patients reported weekly to the agency.
Overall, 56% of patients hospitalized with vaping-related illnesses nationwide reported using the Dank Vapes brand. Health officials found the next most commonly reported product brands among patients were TKO (15%), Smart Cart (13%), and Rove (12%).
The CDC is continuing to recommend that everyone avoid using e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, especially ones they got from informal sources.
