MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Department of Public Health has confirmed the state’s first vaping-related death.
A news release Wednesday said an East Alabama man died of lung disease associated with e-cigarettes. Chronic Disease Epidemiologist Sondra Reese says the department cannot give his age or other details because of privacy laws.
The department says it has identified three other probable cases of vaping-related illness and is investigating nine other possible cases. Reese says the department ruled out vaping as the cause of illness in six other patients.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 12 deaths from vaping-related illness in 10 states as of Sept. 24. Alabama is among states to report their first such deaths since then.