New York State Receives First Report Of Vaping-Related Death

ALBANY — New York’s governor says the state has seen its first reported death linked to vaping.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the Oct. 4 death of a 17-year-old male from the Bronx was reported Tuesday to the state Department of Health. Cuomo says the teenager was hospitalized in early September for a respiratory illness related to vaping.

The governor’s administration reports it’s received 110 reports from New York physicians of severe pulmonary illness among patients between the ages of 14 to 69 years who were using at least one vape product prior to becoming ill.

The vaping industry successfully sued to temporarily block the Cuomo administration’s recent ban on flavored e-cigarettes.

Federal officials say at least 18 people have died and over 1,000 people have been sickened with vaping-related illnesses.