Louisville officials issue public health warning urging residents to stop vaping

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville officials are warning the public to stop using e-cigarettes and vaping, according to a news release.

The move comes after what is described as a "national outbreak" of severe lung injuries that officials say can be traced to vaping.

Authorities say there are currently a total of 805 U.S. cases from 48 states and one territory that are believed to be linked to the practice. Of that number, 12 have died.

The mayor's office says there are 20 cases being investigated in Kentucky. One of the cases under investigation involves a person from Louisville.

"We are deeply concerned about two public health trends we're seeing right now," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, in a statement. "One is the precipitous rise in teen vaping and the other is the outbreak we're seeing of people who use vaping products developing serious lung problems."

Dr. Sarah Moyer, the director of Louisville's Department of Public Health and Wellness, said vaping is a unique and dangerous trend.

"Our message is simple: vaping is not safe," Moyer said, in a statement. "This outbreak of e-cigarette-related injury and death is disproportionately hitting young people and it's something we've never seen before.

"The outbreak does not just involve products with THC bought on the black market. Investigators have not been able to narrow down the cause of this very serious lung injury to any single or group of vaping products. Right now, we can't say that ANY vaping products are safe to use and don't cause this lung condition."

However, not all agree. Owner of Derb E Cigs Troy LeBlanc says there's enough evidence to not ask all vape users to stop.

"Louisville Public health not delivering a clear message on e-cigarettes is causing people to go back to smoking," LeBlanc said. "That's my biggest concern."

Of the more than 800 cases so far, 77% percent of the patients admit that their vape or e-cig products contained THC.

Investigators in Wisconsin and Illinois say that more than 60% of the people who were sick in their state say they used a specific brand called "Dank Vapes."

"We are 100% behind the fact that youths do not need to be using vapor products. We believe there should be a nicotine cap," LeBlanc said. "we believe that e-cigarettes should be remanded to 18 plus stores."

Anyone who feels they need help to stop using e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes is invited to sign up for free Stop Smoking classes offered by the Department of Public Health and Wellness. Anyone interested can call 502-574-STOP.