--- title: "First Teen Dies of “Vaping-Related” Illness in the U.S." description: "A 17-year-old teenager from New York died of \"vaping-related illness\" on Friday according to officials, as the New York Times reports." date: "2019-10-09" modified: "2019-10-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/first-teen-dies-vaping-illness-us" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "e-cigarettes" - "epidemic" - "vape" - "vaping" --- # First Teen Dies of “Vaping-Related” Illness in the U.S. ![A 17-year-old teenager from New York died of "vaping-related illness" on Friday according to officials, as the New York Times reports.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* A 17-year-old teenager from New York died of a "vaping-related illness," officials told [the *New York Times*](). The deceased individual is New York State's first vaping-related death and the youngest to have died of the mysterious illness nationwide. It's still not 100 percent clear if the cause of death was directly linked to vaping, though the patient was hospitalized twice last month for the illness. "The city is investigating the case in question but no official determination has been made at this time," a spokeswoman for New York City mayor Bill de Blasio told the *Times*. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 people have died from the vaping-related illness in the U.S. — so far. An earlier [investigation]() by the same group in October found a link between lung injuries and the use of e-cigarettes. The agency also officially [advised]() people to stay away from any vaping related products in September. [According to the *Wall Street Journal*](), vaping-related lung injuries rose to 1,080 earlier this month. The New York State Department of Health has received 110 reports about severe pulmonary illnesses of patients who had vaped at least once, the *Times* reports. The news comes after [a study]() funded by the National Institutes of Health found that nicotine-laced e-cigarette vapor is linked to lung cancer and perhaps bladder cancer in mice. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()