Tainted vaporizer cartridges may be grounds for civil lawsuits

The average consumer expects health and beauty products, and foods, to meet a certain minimum level of safety. For example, people expect to be able to eat their produce without the risk of major bacterial contamination. They also expect that other products intended for consumers to ingest or apply to their bodies are safe for their intended purposes.

Unfortunately, there are many products that fall into regulatory gray areas where there may not be adequate protections for consumers, as well as regulated products whose manufacturers begin cutting corners with safety and chemical testing. Vaporizers are one of these products, and some people have become very ill or even died because of defective vaporizers or contaminated cartridges.

People see vaporization as a harm-reduction option

For more than a decade, companies have been mass marketing products that they claim are harm reduction options when compared with the traditional combustion and smoking of tobacco or marijuana products. Consumers were quick to see the appeal in these discrete devices that seem to reduce the harm that smoking could cause the body.

Sadly, as recent news headlines have made abundantly clear, not all of these products are safe for consumer use. Tainted vaporizer cartridges, as well as dangerous additives in e-liquids, could leave users trying to make a good decision for their health vulnerable to severe medical consequences. At least 12 people have died, and dozens of others have wound up in a hospital.

Laboratory testing has shown alarming chemical contaminants

The companies that make tobacco products generally add dozens if not hundreds of chemical compounds to help stabilize and enhance the smoking experience. Quite a few people believe that vaporizer cartridges are cleaner because they contain fewer chemical additives. However, many companies are putting all kinds of questionable compounds into e-liquids or cartridges.

After multiple deaths tied to contaminated vaping devices, independent testing discovered that some of these cartridges have Vitamin E acetate in them, which could be the cause of the issues. Certain other chemicals, including unregulated pesticides and fungicides like myclobutanil, may also have a link to so-called vaping sickness experienced by a number of people. When burned, myclobutanil can produce hydrogen cyanide.

People who got sick because of vaporizers have rights

Some of the companies manufacturing and marketing vaporizers have openly advertised their products as safe alternatives to cigarettes without performing any tests to ensure their products were as safe as they claimed.

For those dealing with severe medical illnesses, including respiratory problems, related to the use of a tainted vaporizer, it may be possible to obtain compensation that will offset lost wages and medical costs. For those who have lost a loved one due to vaporization, a wrongful death lawsuit related to these defective products may be the best option.