Diagnosed With EVALI Illness From Vaping? Here’s What You Should Know

Illnesses caused by e-cigarette usage have become so prevalent that the medical community now refers to the common group of vaping-related symptoms and conditions as “e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury,” or EVALI.

Chaffin Luhana represents e-cigarette users who have been diagnosed with EVALI illness and who seek to recover compensation for the medical costs and other damages stemming from their illness.

What are the symptoms of EVALI illness?

Physicians look for a certain group of characteristics and symptoms before rendering an EVALI diagnosis to distinguish the condition from other illnesses, including:

  • An EVALI sufferer’s use of vaping products within 90 days before the onset of symptoms;
  • Chest X-rays, pathological tests, or other diagnostic images that show dense or dark areas on the EVALI sufferer’s lungs, thus suggesting an acute lung injury;
  • Rejection of other likely diagnoses, such as pneumonia or infections, that might account for lung inflammation, accumulations of excess oils and other substances in an EVALI sufferer’s lungs, or high white-cell counts or other immune system reactions.

What is the link between EVALI and Vitamin E Acetate?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) has identified vitamin E acetate as the most plausible cause of EVALI illness in e-cigarette users.

Manufacturers of vaping cartridges, and particularly of products that deliver THC, have added vitamin E acetate to those cartridges as thickening agents. Many THC cartridges are made by black-market distributors, but investigators have also seen reports of the substance in cartridges purchased from licensed dispensaries.

Vitamin E acetate is a sticky, honey-like substance that can accumulate in an e-cigarette user’s lungs, blocking air passageways and oxygen absorption.

How can you recover damages for EVALI illness?

The science and research behind EVALI illness is in its early stages. Nonetheless, many e-cigarette and vape product users have relied on possibly false representations from vape device and cartridge manufacturers that their products are safe and do not pose an undue risk of illness or injury.

If you are a regular e-cigarette user and you have been diagnosed with EVALI or any other lung or pulmonary illness that is not connected to any risk factors other than vaping, you may have a cause of action against those manufacturers to recover damages equal to your:

  • Present and future medical expenses;
  • Lost earnings due to illnesses that keep you from working;
  • Occupational and rehabilitation costs related to recovering from your vape-related illness;
  • The value of the reduction in your ability to partake in your regular daily activities due to your illness.

Your specific circumstances may entitle you to other categories of damages as well.

Call Chaffin To Ask About Filing an EVALI Lawsuit

Are you eligible to file a JUUL illness lawsuit? If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with EVALI, contact Chaffin Luhana today to discuss your options for pursuing monetary compensation for medical bills, lost wages, loss of quality of life, and more.

Our vaping injury attorneys have years of experience holding negligent manufacturers responsible for the harm caused by their defective or malfunctioning products.

Trust in our track record of success: Our lawyers have recovered more than $1 billion in damages for their personal injury clients. We strive to protect consumers from dangerous products and to hold negligent companies accountable for the damage they cause.

Please call today for a free, no-obligation consultation.