Vape Class Action Lawsuit

Our law firm is currently representing a number of individuals who had their vape pen explode in their pocket causing serious burn injuries. We have also seen a rise in the number of seizures and vape related lung illness cases throughout the country. Not only are people being injured or killed by vaping but the rise in teen nicotine addiction through vaping has also become an epidemic.

Table of Contents

• Vape Battery Explosions
• Seizures & Vaping
• Vaping & Popcorn Lung aka Bronchitis Obliterans
• Vaping Lung & Respiratory Illness
• Vaping Nicotine Addiction
• Related Content: E-cig lawsuit

President Donald Trump Says, “Ban Van Vape Pens in America”

9/12/19 – President Donald Trump advised people not to vape one day after his administration said it would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes.

Vape Battery Explosions

Lithium-ion batteries or Li-ion batteries are what are used in vape pens. These batteries are very powerful but packed into a small, compact vape pen. According to FEMA, about 80% of vape pen battery explosions or fires occur while the device is plugged in and charging. This can cause injury to people nearby, while also potentially starting a deadly fire. But the remainder of the vape explosions happens while a person is actively vaping or while in storage.

What sort of injuries do vape battery explosions cause? If a vape battery explodes while you are vaping, it can cause serious burns to one’s hands, arm, chest, and face. If the battery explodes while it is in somebody’s pocket, it can cause serious burning to the leg and groin area. Also, you can only image how panicked you would be if a battery explosion happened while you were driving.  We have seen cases where the battery exploded while driving and caused an accident.

A vape pen battery explosion can cause serious burns, scars, accidents, fires and even death. Here is just one recent and unfortunate case:

• Texas Man Dies From Vape Explosion, February 14, 2019 – An exploding e-cigarette caused a man from Fort Worth, Texas, to suffer brain injuries so catastrophic they resulted in his death from a severed carotid artery. The victim, 24-year-old William Brown, was at a vaporizer store in Keller, Texas, when the fatal accident occurred. His grandmother says he had just purchased the vape and was using it for the first time in her car when it exploded in his mouth.

Seizures & Vaping

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is warning about a link between the use of e-cigarette or “vapes” and an increased risk for seizure, as dozens of consumers have reported having seizures while or shortly after vaping.

Since 2010, the agency has received at least 35 reports of seizure in vape users.

“While 35 cases may not seem like much compared to the total number of people using e-cigarettes, we are nonetheless concerned by these reported cases,” said FDA head Scott Gottlieb. “We also recognize that not all of the cases may be reported.”

Vaping & Popcorn Lung

A chemical linked to a severe respiratory disease called bronchitis obliterans was found in more than 75% of flavored e-cigarettes (also called ‘vaporizers’ or ‘vapes’) tested by Harvard researchers, according to a study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Commonly known as ‘popcorn lung,’ bronchitis obliterans was first reported on in 2000, when a number of workers at a popcorn plant in Missouri were diagnosed with the disease after inhaling the flavoring chemical diacetyl.

For the Harvard study, researchers tested 51 types of flavored vapes and found diacetyl in 39 of them. Most also tested positive for 2 other high-priority flavoring chemicals: 3-pentanedione and acetoin.

“Due to the associations between diacetyl, bronchiolitis obliterans and other severe respiratory diseases observed in workers, urgent action is recommended to further evaluate this potentially widespread exposure via flavored e-cigarettes,” the study’s authors concluded.

Popcorn lung is an irreversible disease that causes severe scarring on the tiny air sacs in the lungs (bronchioles). Its symptoms are similar to those produced by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and may include:

• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Scarring/hardening of lung tissue
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Skin Peeling

Vaping Lung & Respiratory Illness

In 2019 there has been a surge in emergency room visits from patients complaining of strange lung ailments. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), FDA and other government agencies have reported extensively on this mystery lung disease and unfortunately, it has been tied to a number of deaths.

As of September 27, 2019, there have been 805 vaping related illnesses in 46 states. The common denominator has been that all of the patients have reported using a vape pen with either nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, aka marijuana.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to stop vaping THC products as the death toll from a mysterious lung disease rises with no signs of abating.

Doctors say the vape illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the body apparently reacting to a caustic substance that someone breathed in (vape juice).

The National news media have referred to the newly surfacing acute lung injuries as “Vaping Associated Pulmonary Illness”.

Symptoms of vaping illness have included shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. These symptoms can lead to hypoxia (dangerously low levels of oxygen in the blood), which would prompt doctors at an emergency room to use a respirator on the patient. Ultimately, the vape induced ling injury could cause lung failure and death.

“These cases look very much like overwhelming infection, like viral or bacterial pneumonia,” but lab tests fail to find germs in lung fluids and blood, said Dr. Zack Moore, chief epidemiologist for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

No single vape pen or device, liquid or ingredient has been identified as the cause, and health officials are advising people not to vape at all until more is known. It is important to note however that New York officials have been focused on a substance called vitamin E acetate. This substance has been identified in lab tests as being in victims systems and it is used in vape juice as a thickener, particularly in black market vape cartridges that also contain THC.

Vaping Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine addiction is no joke! In fact, there have been a number of lawsuits filed on behalf of kids and teens who became addicted to vaping. For the most part, these lawsuits have focused on the JUUL brand vapes.

It has been found that JUUL “pods” contain and deliver higher nicotine levels than regular tobacco cigarettes!

In a recent study, researchers found that kids who use vapes are four times more likely to start smoking cigarettes.

Do I have a Lawsuit? Talk With a Vape Class Action Lawyer

The Product Liability Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in vaping lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new cases in all 50 states.

Again, If you or somebody you know has been injured in a vape pen battery explosion, suffered from a respiratory problem or become addicted to nicotine through vaping, we would like to speak with you.

You may be entitled to compensation by filing a vape lawsuit. Our lawyers offer a free review of your potential case. Please use the form below to contact us today.