**CDC Recommends Avoiding E-Cigarette Use While Cause of Lung Illness Outbreak Still Unknown
Currently, there is an outbreak of lung illness (or, severe pulmonary disease) associated with e-cigarette use. The cause of the outbreak has not yet been identified. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has recommended not using e-cigarettes while there is an ongoing investigation of the outbreak cause.
E-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco and don’t burn, so breath tests that look for carbon monoxide may be negative. But urine, blood, and saliva tests that look for the chemical cotinine will be positive. Cotinine appears when nicotine is broken down in the body, and e-cigarettes contain nicotine, just like the nicotine patch or gum.
Medical review: Nathan Cobb, MD, September 12, 2017