Federal health officials have determined the death of a Colorado man was not caused by vaping-related lung illness.
In October, state health officials said they were investigating the death of an 18-year-old male from the Denver area as a possible vaping-related death. But first, they needed the results of an autopsy and additional testing to have a definitive answer.
The case was sent to federal health investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, we know the death was not caused by what's called EVALI, E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury.
Also, the CDC has decreased Colorado's EVALI case count from 12 to 8.
The agency changed the definition so that it only includes the cases of individuals with EVALI who were hospitalized. Two of Colorado's previous cases were not hospitalized.
The CDC transferred the other pair of cases to the states where the people permanently reside to maintain more accurate state counts. Those individuals were both college students who have permanent residency in other states, according to the health department.
The CDC reports that more than 2,500 people have been hospitalized with the vaping-related lung illness since the outbreak first hit in mid-2019. That includes 55 deaths in 27 states. Colorado has had eight cases and zero deaths.
