Vaping-linked lung illness looks like exposure to mustard gas, doctors say

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Close examination of lung tissue from 17 people with severe vaping-linked injuries found a type of tissue damage seen in people exposed to toxic fumes and chemical weapons, such as mustard gas.

That's according to a short report in The New England Journal of Medicine published Wednesday by doctors from the Mayo Clinic.

It's still unclear what's causing a rash of life-threatening lung injuries in some people who vape. As of October 1, there have been 1,080 confirmed or probable cases in 48 states and the US Virgin Islands, including 18 deaths in 15 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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