DENVER — The Colorado Department of Health and Environment is investigating what could be the first vaping-related death in the state.
An autopsy will be performed to confirm the cause of death. Those results could take several weeks.
In a statement to News5, the Department says the death being investigated is an 18-year-old male from the Denver area, and that the agency cannot release further details.
We investigate all cases reported to us to see if they meet CDC's case definition for vaping-related lung illness. We currently have a number of cases under investigation, including one death. Confirming the cause will take significant time as we await autopsy results and additional testing. It typically takes 6-8 weeks to get these kinds of results back. The death being investigated is an 18-year-old male, Denver metro-area. We cannot give any other details about this death.
There have been 11 confirmed cases of this illness, which the CDC calls EVALI, in Colorado.
The Centers for Disease Control reports 34 deaths in 24 states are confirmed to be tied to EVALI.
There have been more than 1,600 confirmed or probable lung injury cases associated with e-cigarettes or vaping products reported in 49 states.
Alaska is the only state with no reported cases of the illness.
