US authorities say someone has died from a vaping-related illness

It's the first incident of its kind.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the US's leading national public health institution, suspect that vaping has claimed its first life. It is the first fatal case of pulmonary and respiratory illness linked to vaping, though the CDC says it has seen over 200 such cases of "severe unexplained respiratory systems after reported vaping or e-cigarette use." This week, the organisation confirmed that somebody had died in Illinois from what appeared to be a vaping-related illness. Speaking on the cluster of such illnesses, a representative for the CDC said: "Some cases appear to be similar and linked to e-cigarette product use," though "more information is needed to determine what is causing the illnesses." According to Tech Crunch, the CDC's Dr. Brian King warned: "We do know that e-cigarettes do not emit a harmless aerosol. There’s a variety of harmful ingredients identified, including things like ultrafine particulates, heavy metals like lead and cancer-causing chemicals." It is estimated that 4% of the Irish population regularly use vapes. According to the HSE: "Current government policy does not identify a role for e-cigarettes in tobacco control in Ireland. The Department of Health continues to monitor evidence in this areas as part of its ongoing monitoring and review of Tobacco Free Ireland  and will determine any updates to policy as appropriate."