Tests of lung samples taken from 29 patients with vaping-related injuries suggest all contained vitamin E acetate, a discovery U.S. officials described on Friday as a "breakthrough" in the investigation of the nationwide outbreak that has topped 2,000 cases.
The discovery of vitamin E acetate in lung samples offers the first direct evidence of a link with the substance and vaping-related lung injuries. The substance has also been identified in tests by U.S. and state officials of product samples collected from patients with the vaping injury.
In a telephone briefing on Friday, Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), called vitamin E acetate "a very strong culprit of concern" and referred to the discovery as "a breakthrough" in the investigation.