The question of how many teenagers have died from vaping reflects a significant public health concern, particularly given the rapid increase in e-cigarette use among youth. Determining a precise number requires focusing on official reports of acute, direct fatalities linked to vaping products, rather than the long-term, indirect effects. Public health agencies track these incidents to understand the immediate danger posed by certain products and to inform consumers about the risks of e-cigarette use. The majority of documented deaths occurred during a specific public health crisis that peaked in the United States in late 2019. The official statistics provide a clear, though limited, view of the most severe and immediate consequences of the practice.
The Official Count of Fatalities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracked the official data on fatalities during the national outbreak of lung injuries linked to e-cigarette use, which began in 2019. This outbreak, formally named E-cigarette, or Vaping, product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), accounts for nearly all confirmed, acute deaths attributed to vaping products. The CDC ceased collecting comprehensive national case counts in February 2020 after the crisis subsided, reporting a total of 2,807 hospitalized EVALI cases and 68 confirmed deaths across the United States.
The age range of the deceased patients spanned from 15 to 75 years old, though the median age for those who died was 51 years. This older median age suggests that the most severe outcomes disproportionately affected middle-aged adults, despite the fact that 15% of all hospitalized EVALI cases were people under the age of 18. The confirmed fatalities specifically among teenagers (under 18) included a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. The total death count associated with this acute illness remains fixed at the last reported figure from the CDC.
The Primary Medical Cause of Vaping Deaths
The fatalities reported during the EVALI crisis stem from a sudden, acute respiratory illness that often leads to severe lung damage and failure. EVALI is characterized by nonspecific symptoms like cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, which can rapidly progress to the point where patients require mechanical ventilation. The illness is a form of chemical pneumonitis, where the lungs react violently to an inhaled irritant.
The vast majority of EVALI cases, including the fatalities, were linked to the use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing vaping products acquired from informal or illicit sources. The primary chemical implicated in the outbreak was Vitamin E Acetate (VEA), an oily substance used as a cutting agent or thickener in counterfeit THC vape cartridges. When inhaled, VEA does not vaporize properly and coats the lung tissues, causing severe inflammation and damage that prevents the lungs from exchanging oxygen effectively. The rapid decline in EVALI cases after late 2019 is attributed to public health warnings about illicit THC products and the removal of VEA from the supply chain.
Distinguishing Acute Death from Chronic Risk
The confirmed deaths tied to the EVALI outbreak represent an acute toxicity event, meaning the illness and death occurred rapidly following exposure to a specific chemical contaminant. This stands in contrast to the chronic, long-term health risks associated with the sustained use of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. While the EVALI deaths are accounted for in the official statistics, the long-term consequences of regular vaping are separate.
Long-term e-cigarette use, even without contaminants like Vitamin E Acetate, exposes users to chemicals that affect the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems over time. The nicotine in most e-liquids causes acute physiological changes, including elevations in blood pressure and heart rate. Chronic users have demonstrated impaired function of their blood vessels, a condition that increases the risk for heart disease over a lifetime, similar to that seen in chronic combustible cigarette smokers. Furthermore, the aerosol contains tiny particulate matter, heavy metals such as nickel and lead, and volatile organic compounds that are inhaled deep into the lungs. This repeated exposure is associated with the development of chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Current Public Health Surveillance and Reporting
Since the peak of the EVALI crisis and the identification of Vitamin E Acetate as the primary culprit, the method of tracking vaping-related illness has changed. The CDC stopped collecting comprehensive, state-by-state case counts in early 2020, but it continues to monitor trends in emergency department data across the country. This surveillance is conducted using the National Syndromic Surveillance Program’s BioSense/ESSENCE platform, which tracks emergency room visits related to respiratory or e-cigarette use symptoms.
Tracking new or ongoing cases remains complex because EVALI presents with symptoms that closely mimic other pulmonary diseases, making accurate, rapid diagnosis difficult for clinicians. While the acute outbreak subsided, some states have continued to report isolated EVALI cases after the national surveillance system was closed, indicating the risk, though diminished, has not completely disappeared. The most significant current challenge to public health reporting is the latency period of chronic diseases; a fatality resulting from vaping-induced cardiovascular disease or COPD decades from now will be difficult to attribute to past e-cigarette use, meaning the full long-term impact on mortality is yet to be determined.