Marin Woman Dies of Vaping-Related Illness in First Recorded Bay Area Fatality Linked to E-Cigarettes

A previously healthy Marin County woman in her 40s who started vaping six months ago has died, county officials announced Wednesday.

“With sadness, we report that there has been a death in our community suspected to be caused by severe lung injury associated with vaping,” said Dr. Matt Willis, a public health officer with Marin Health and Human Services, in a news release.

Marin County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert Fielding identified the victim as Amanda Arconti, a 45-year-old Marin County resident who also had an apartment in Vacaville, KTVU reported.  She died on Nov. 7 at Novato Community Hospital.

Her death appears to be linked to either vaping or previous tobacco use, Fielding said, but noted that a coming autopsy would determine the final cause of death.

Arconti was admitted to the hospital last Thursday, describing symptoms that had persisted for about four days, including coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and fever, Willis said.  Her condition then rapidly progressed to respiratory distress, he added, at which point she was transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit and placed on a breathing machine before dying the following day.

“This is one of the characteristics of this kind of lung injury: It can be really rapidly progressive in people who are otherwise healthy,” he said.

Her death marks the fourth vaping-related fatality in California since July, and the 40th recorded nationally by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has also documented over 2,000 suspected cases nationwide of lung damage associated with e-cigarettes in the growing epidemic.

Marin Health and Human Services issued a warning in September recommending that residents cease e-cigarette use and vaping until the cause of the outbreak is discovered. Most cities in Marin County also recently moved to ban the sale of flavored tobacco beginning in January 2020.

Willis said his agency is working with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health to obtain test samples of the vaping liquid the woman used and hopes to determine what specifically contributed to her death.

“We’re refining what those compounds might be and are going to be using the public health lab to actually test samples themselves that we have collected,” Willis said. His team is relying on the victim’s family members to collect and provide additional evidence, and hopes to have test results within a few weeks, he said.

Although the specific products or compounds that cause lung injury after use of e-cigarettes are still unknown, the CDC announced last week that vitamin E acetate may be a contributor in some cases.

Oil-based vitamin E is sometimes added to vaping liquids, especially those containing the psychoactive cannabis compound THC, but numerous confirmed cases of lung injury have not been tied to THC, county officials said.

There are several thousand formulations of vaping liquids, many of which have not been tested for safety, according to the county.

Symptoms of e-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury, (EVALI) can include shortness of breath, coughing or chest pain, often accompanied by nausea, fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Anyone experiencing these symptoms after using e-cigarettes should seek prompt medical attention, health officials said.

“The message is simple: It’s not safe to vape,” Willis said. “Until we have a better understanding of the cause of this outbreak, it’s best to avoid these products entirely.”

This article includes reporting from Bay City News’ James Lanaras.