The state of New York is pushing for an emergency ban on flavored e-cigarettes, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying “vaping is dangerous."
“No one can say long-term use of vaping — where you’re inhaling steam and chemicals deep into your lungs — is healthy," Cuomo said Sunday, per NYT.
The big picture: A number of states — along with the federal government — are rushing to regulate e-cigarettes after a rise in vaping-related lung illnesses that are reported to have killed 6 people and sickened hundreds. Most of the illnesses are believed to be linked to vaping THC, the compound in marijuana that makes people high.
Police arrested 2 men in a drug bust in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for manufacturing and selling THC-laced vaping cartridges, an illegal practice that could be driving the lung-related illness linked to vaping, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: State and federal health investigators have not determined the cause of the illness, but their ongoing hypothesis is noxious chemicals finding their way into vaping supplies through illegal manufacturing.
At least 1,974 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from an Ebola virus outbreak that has lasted just over 1 year, according to an update on Friday from the DRC Ministry of Health.
What's new: There are 111 probable deaths in addition to those that have been confirmed, per the DRC Ministry of Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) puts the death toll at 2,074 in its latest update. The DRC's former Minister of Health Oly Ilunga was taken into custody again on Saturday to ensure that he does not avoid legal proceedings for his misdemeanor offenses involving mishandling Ebola funds, the AP reports.
Drug companies in a massive legal battle over their alleged roles in fueling the opioid epidemic are calling for the federal judge in their case to be removed over the appearance of bias, the Washington Post reports.
Where it stands: These drug companies, which face thousands of lawsuits from cities and other communities, are scheduled for trial Oct. 21. The drug companies are "questioning" U.S. District Judge Dan Polster's "impartiality because he has consistently urged both sides to settle the case," per the Post.
