Four people in their early teens have been taken to hospital after inhaling an unknown substance via vejpning. This is reported by Sveriges Radio Medelpad. According to the police, the students know each other and the vejpning should have taken place during school hours.
"It has been difficult to connect with some of the students. They have been unwell and confused." says the Municipal Police Henrik Blusi to Swedish Radio Medelpad.
According to the police, it is not yet known what kind of drugs the students have vejpat.
"It will be a few weeks before we know if it's something illegal, like drugs, another harmful substance, a lot of nicotine or something else," Henrik Blusi told Swedish Radio.
Acute injuries are rare
It is very rare for e-cigarette use to lead to acute harm. But it has happened. In 2019, nearly 3000 Americans in hospital after vejping the substance e-acetate - a non-water-soluble substance used to dilute cannabis oil in e-liquid. 68 people died in the aftermath of the lipid pneumonia that followed.
Vejpade oil - however
Regular e-liquid consists only of water-soluble substances, which are necessary for nicotine to dissolve in the liquid. Also regulated vejps for cannabis use (mainly in the US) consists of water-soluble substances. E-acetate, on the other hand, is a lipid (oil-based liquid) that is suspected to have been used by manufacturers to dilute expensive cannabis oil without thinning the e-liquid. When heated, e-acetate forms an oil-like substance that sticks to the lungs and leads to so-called lipid pneumonia. Lipid pneumonia cannot be treated with pencillin without requires special treatment.
EVALI disappeared quickly
The outbreak of so-called EVALI was soon linked to widespread sales of illicit cannabisvejps in the form of pre-filled tanks sold via the black market. Also in Sweden, doctors reported two cases of so-called EVALI - also linked to products purchased through illegal online channels. The products that caused EVALI disappeared from the market after six months and the outbreak peaked in the fall of 2019.
