ENDS EVALI VALI THCVALI: Difference between revisions

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<big>'''“E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury” (EVALI) -- Right Illness, Wrong Name. Will The CDC Correct It?'''</big>

The 2019–2020 outbreak of acute lung injuries in the United States was real. The name given to it was the problem.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named the outbreak “E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use-Associated Lung Injury,” or EVALI. That name embedded e-cigarettes and vaping into the medical language of the outbreak, even as clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological evidence increasingly pointed to vitamin E acetate in illicit, unregulated THC cartridges, not standard nicotine e-cigarettes.

The harm from the name “EVALI” did not end when the outbreak ended. By conflating nicotine vapor products with illicit THC cartridges, public health messaging distorted risk perceptions, contributed to widespread misunderstanding, and left many people believing that regulated nicotine vaping caused the injuries. That confusion affected many people. People who had switched from combustible tobacco to nicotine vaping went back to smoking. Some people who smoked tobacco became leery of switching. People using unregulated THC carts may not have recognized quickly enough that the warnings applied to the products they were using. With better messaging, some of the illnesses and deaths might have been averted.

This page documents efforts to get the CDC to correct that name, the consequences of leaving it unchanged, the scientific evidence identifying the source of the outbreak, and the people who tried to correct the record in real time. It does this by bringing together journal articles, formal policy critiques, media analysis, public health statements, and consumer-led documentation to show how one imprecise name became a lasting public health communication failure.

~~<big>'''“E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury” (EVALI) -- Right Illness, Wrong Name. Will The CDC Correct It?'''</big>~~

='''CDC and the term "EVALI"'''=

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**Citation: Jin, L., Kenkel, D. S., Lovenheim, M. F., Mathios, A. D., & Wang, H. (2022). Misinformation, consumer risk perceptions, and markets: The impact of an information shock on vaping and smoking cessation (NBER Working Paper No. 30255). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30255

***Acknowledgment: Produced with the help of a grant to Cornell University from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Inc. (FSFW), a U.S. nonprofit 501(c) (3) private foundation. This study is, under the terms of the grant agreement with FSFW, editorially independent of FSFW. The FSFW had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The contents, selection, and presentation of facts, as well as any opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the authors and under no circumstances shall be regarded as reflecting the positions of FSFW. FSFW accepts charitable gifts from PMI Global Services Inc. (PMI), which manufactures cigarettes and other tobacco products. Under FSFW’s Bylaws and Pledge Agreement with PMI, FSFW is independent from PMI and the tobacco industry. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

===2022: Comments RE: [https://pubpeer.com/publications/053A4DD87764E36C0B9FF00B260480 Discussions of Flavored ENDS Sales Restrictions: Themes Related to Circumventing Policies on Reddit]===

*This article incorrectly states, “In the wake of the e-cigarette or vaping use-related lung injury (EVALI) outbreak in September 2019, electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL voluntarily removed flavored pods aside from tobacco and menthol from the U.S. market” That sentence is false and creates a factually inaccurate and damaging link in a reader’s mind between JUUL products and the 2019 lung injuries (EVALI) when none exists. In fact, Juul Labs reduced its flavor portfolio to tobacco and menthol to combat underage use and the ingredients of JUUL products do not include vitamin E compounds or THC that were primarily linked to EVALI. (Murillo)

**Referring to: Silver N, Kucherlapaty P, Kostygina G, Tran H, Feng M, Emery S, Schillo B. Discussions of Flavored ENDS Sales Restrictions: Themes Related to Circumventing Policies on Reddit. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 23;19(13):7668. PMID: 35805325; PMCID: PMC9266029. [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137668 doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137668]

===2021: [https://www.qeios.com/read/ZGVHM7.3 The outbreak of lung injuries often known as "EVALI" was nothing to do with nicotine vaping]===

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*CDC identified THC vapes with vitamin E acetate as culprit, but 66% of adults blame e-cigarettes for vaping deaths

**Citation: Wilson, S. (2020, February 5). E-cigarettes increasingly blamed for lung illnesses, as evidence points elsewhere. Morning Consult. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

===2019: [https://reason.com/2019/10/09/muddled-message-about-vaping-causes-costly-confusion/ Muddled Message About Vaping Causes Costly Confusion]===

*Vague lung disease warnings tar harm-reducing e-cigarettes while obscuring the role of black-market cannabis products.

**Citation: Sullum, J. (2019, October 9). Muddled message about vaping causes costly confusion. Reason. Retrieved June 7, 2026

==Tweets==

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*My point is simply if you know a THC product hurt someone, don’t call it an e-cigarette, call it a THC vape or THC vaping product. Nomenclature matters in helping consumers properly identify which products are causing which kinds of risks. That’s why we develop naming systems.

==Community Notes on X (Formerly Twitter)==

==Community Notes - EVALI Misinformation on X (Formerly Twitter)==

.

The misinformation about nicotine vaping and EVALI continues to spread around the globe years after the outbreak. The tweets below have a [https://x.com/i/communitynotes/about Community Note (CN)] that got enough votes to be made public. Anyone can see them and vote on them. There are many more tweets where the CN does not yet have enough votes. And there are 100s more (maybe 1000s!) without a community note. Community Notes are a way to help correct misinformation, and became [https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMg_6d9005c7-f4ea-4f13-a8b3-0a6158fccc27?rid=535a5f53-cc73-4cd8-8655-5b407d99314b available] to most users late in 2022.

===2026===

*May 2: [https://x.com/ChronosIntelX/status/2050460076302119243 Chronos Intelligence @ChronosIntelX] (5816 followers)

*May 1: [https://x.com/forallcurious/status/2050433667282219081 All day Astronomy @forallcurious] (453.5K followers)

*April 11: [https://x.com/A3Noticias/status/2043066564996407378 Antena 3 Noticias @A3Noticias] (2M followers)

*February 3: [https://x.com/argosaki/status/2018870277107822947 GP Q @argosaki] (127.3K followers)

*February 3: [https://x.com/ClevelandClinic/status/2018713096404267388 Cleveland Clinic @ClevelandClinic] (1.7M followers)

===2025===

*December 24: [https://x.com/hemo_shk/status/2004010818732781789 Dr.Haitham Hamoud @hemo_shk] (17.8K followers)

*December 9: [https://x.com/drkaanyl/status/1998470605461701007 Prof. Dr. Kaan Yılancıoğlu @drkaanyl] (215.2K followers)

*December 2: [https://x.com/wdunlap/status/1995892820163658065 Wayne Dunlap @wdunlap] (250.1K followers)

*May 17: [https://x.com/DarrenPlymouth/status/1923710684556055002 Darren of Plymouth @DarrenPlymouth] (126.4K followers)

*May 6: [https://x.com/GMB/status/1919641214422253759 Good Morning Britain @GMB] (1M followers)

*March 26: [https://x.com/j00ny369T/status/1904861513527013715 Johnny @j00ny369T] (221.7K followers)

*Febrary 17: [https://x.com/LungAssociation/status/1891553473210057206 American Lung Association @LungAssociation] (44.6K followers)

===2024===

*November 13: [https://x.com/BreakMyCoffee/status/1856902175844438254 The Coffee Break | Grow Smarter Daily @BreakMyCoffee] (19.8K followers)

*May 16: [https://x.com/MillsHayesTV/status/1791133326461313070 Mills Hayes @MillsHayesTV] (5,099 followers)

*May 16: [https://x.com/FoxNews/status/1791205781892645038 Fox News @FoxNews] (29.1M followers)

*April 23: [https://x.com/BFHD/status/1782912224597840165 Benton-Franklin Health District @BFHD] (1,542 followers)

==Expert Testimony==

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**Citation: Betuel, E. (2019, September 13). A thickener used in pot vaping is a hugely popular black-market scam. Inverse. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

=='''Suggestions to add to this page'''==

='''EVALI outbreak — Consumer-led research, warnings, and pushback'''=

===Mysterious "vape" illnesses and THC cutting agents===

*When the news broke of vaping lung injuries, consumers started doing their own research, often discussing their findings in Facebook chat groups. Here are some of the compiled notes as they started looking for patterns that might indicate a cause.

*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JOD0wBm_lZRmsTwGpkzFFaVXry23T46YMk_8enIFiQw/edit?usp=sharing THC Cutting Agents]

*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BMqv26yghILkKpKf%20POhNKQfLV3qFn8JfPEQbBBJN84/edit?usp=sharing Mysterious Lung Issues]

*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeEEsLg9spwI5UigtfYDQwzc8OINZyRkdIBJaFKSvOE/edit?usp=sharing MN, WI, TX, etc - illegal THC carts]

===“DANKing” — A consumer-coined term to distinguish illicit THC carts from nicotine vaping===

*As the very real concern about the "vaping" illnesses and deaths spread, some states and cities moved quickly to ban nicotine vapes, or at least ban the flavors. They seemed to be unaware or ignored that it was unregulated THC products that were causing the outbreak. Consumers knew that the public needed an easy way to differentiate between THC and nicotine. Because so many illnesses were linked to a fake brand called "[https://www.wtvr.com/2019/09/27/in-lung-illness-outbreak-signs-point-to-majority-of-patients-vaping-thc-products Dank Vapes]," Andre Thov coined the term "DANKing." (See [https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BNi6XLKdM/ comments] on this Facebook post.) Consumers began using the term on social media.

**Thov entered the term on [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Danking Urban Dictionary].

**Advocates wrote reports and press releases, sometimes using the term "danking," to educate the public (often more strongly than public health or the CDC did). Examples: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w7ErqSmO-moRR0ExYBCSEy0Bc_yGwxfjlYq7kH_bnEk/edit?usp=sharing “DANKing”, the frightening trend that’s making people sick!] and [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PDihlSLQjE0VmDDtwftTsSPqByAv3T8cHlZpnN4NXAQ/edit?usp=sharing For Immediate Release From: Tobacco Harm Reduction 4Life Public Health Warning]

*At times, people with lived experience ("consumers") can feel unseen and unheard. They don't always know the power of their voices. Can they influence the conversation? They got their answer when they saw the word used on websites and media sources:

**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exRRX0xrKvE Deadly Pesticides Found In Counterfeit Vaping Products | TODAY].

**Erin Mills, affiliated with PAVe (Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes), [https://x.com/NYSMom4Kiddos/status/1171472581452419072 tweeted #danking].

**A 2019 webpage titled “FAQs about the vaping lung illness epidemic” on VapingHealthRisk.com used the term “danking” in reference to THC or marijuana vaping products. The page is no longer available at its original URL; a current attempt to access it returns a 502 Bad Gateway error. The original URL was: https://vapinghealthrisk.com/faqs-about-the-vaping-lung-illness-epidemic/. A screenshot of the FAQ text reads: "Are vaping THC or marijuana (aka danking) products worse than nicotine e-cigarettes? Maybe. It appears as if THC and marijuana-related vaping or e-cigarette products may increase the risk of vaping lung diseases. The CDC reports the following usage patterns in the 30 days prior to becoming sick:" (the screenshot does not include the list)

*Dray Moorman, who is both a consumer and a small business advocate, used the term in an Op-Ed published by NEWSMAX: [https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/vape-vote-vaping-voters-trump/2019/10/11/id/936690/ Dray Moorman: Vape Vote Could Outweigh Impeachment Damage in 2020]. In part, it said: "Smoking black market oil is called danking. THC oil made in a drug dealer’s kitchen has nothing to do with e-cigs. Yet, opportunists and mainstream media are exploiting tragedy to attack vaping. And by doing so, they may be trying to force President Trump to alienate 12 million voters."

*Did those consumers have a lasting impact? While it was a thrill to have an influence on the narrative, most of them felt it wasn't big enough. But, perhaps, it was bigger than they thought. A 2025 WRTV Indianapolis article suggested the term may have had more staying power than consumers realized. In [https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/vape-shop-owner-shares-tips-to-avoid-black-market-products Vape shop owner shares tips to avoid black market products], Eskenazi Health Pulmonary Physician Graham Carlos said health officials haven't seen incidents like this since 2019. "People were what's called 'dabbing and danking.' That's when you add things to the pens and there was no regulation,"

[[File:Danking Today.png|center]]

===Ongoing misinformation and loss of trust===

Consumers are still struggling to trust the CDC. They are left wondering why it was they who had to take to social media to warn the public about the danger of unregulated THC carts cut with vitamin E acetate. They are also left wondering why vape shops had to tell customers that their cannabis use was their own business, but that until things got sorted out, they should smoke cannabis instead of vaping it. Why were consumers and shops quicker at getting the word out than the CDC? Those consumers are left wondering if that was the right time for the CDC to practice the "precautionary principle?"

To this day, consumers and academics use up considerable amounts of their free time, pushing back against misinformation that is keeping some people trapped in smoking tobacco. "EVALI" is still something weaponized, fueling a moral panic about nicotine vaping, and encouraging policymakers to raise taxes and/or ban the products. The CDC's lack of urgency in addressing the source of the misinformation means the word "EVALI" keeps consumers from trusting anything the CDC says.

='''Suggestions to add to this page'''=

[[Category:Studies, Surveys, and Papers]]

[[Category:Media - Movies, Videos, Vlogs, Blogs, OpEds, News, etc.]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <br>
 [[File:Evali.png|center]]
+<br>
+<big>'''“E-cigarette or Vaping  Product Use-Associated Lung Injury” (EVALI) -- Right Illness, Wrong Name. Will The CDC Correct It?'''</big>
+<br>
+<br>
+The 2019–2020 outbreak of acute lung injuries in the United States was real. The name given to it was the problem.
+The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named the outbreak “E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use-Associated Lung Injury,” or EVALI. That name embedded e-cigarettes and vaping into the medical language of the outbreak, even as clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological evidence increasingly pointed to vitamin E acetate in illicit, unregulated THC cartridges, not standard nicotine e-cigarettes.
+The harm from the name “EVALI” did not end when the outbreak ended. By conflating nicotine vapor products with illicit THC cartridges, public health messaging distorted risk perceptions, contributed to widespread misunderstanding, and left many people believing that regulated nicotine vaping caused the injuries. That confusion affected many people. People who had switched from combustible tobacco to nicotine vaping went back to smoking. Some people who smoked tobacco became leery of switching. People using unregulated THC carts may not have recognized quickly enough that the warnings applied to the products they were using. With better messaging, some of the illnesses and deaths might have been averted.
+This page documents efforts to get the CDC to correct that name, the consequences of leaving it unchanged, the scientific evidence identifying the source of the outbreak, and the people who tried to correct the record in real time. It does this by bringing together journal articles, formal policy critiques, media analysis, public health statements, and consumer-led documentation to show how one imprecise name became a lasting public health communication failure.
 <br>
 <br>
-<big>'''“E-cigarette or Vaping  Product Use-Associated Lung Injury” (EVALI) -- Right Illness, Wrong Name. Will The CDC Correct It?'''</big>
 ='''CDC and the term "EVALI"'''=
@@ Line 81: / Line 91: @@
 **Citation: Jin, L., Kenkel, D. S., Lovenheim, M. F., Mathios, A. D., & Wang, H. (2022). Misinformation, consumer risk perceptions, and markets: The impact of an information shock on vaping and smoking cessation (NBER Working Paper No. 30255). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30255
 ***Acknowledgment: Produced with the help of a grant to Cornell University from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Inc. (FSFW), a U.S. nonprofit 501(c) (3) private foundation. This study is, under the terms of the grant agreement with FSFW, editorially independent of FSFW. The FSFW had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The contents, selection, and presentation of facts, as well as any opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the authors and under no circumstances shall be regarded as reflecting the positions of FSFW. FSFW accepts charitable gifts from PMI Global Services Inc. (PMI), which manufactures cigarettes and other tobacco products. Under FSFW’s Bylaws and Pledge Agreement with PMI, FSFW is independent from PMI and the tobacco industry. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
+===2022: Comments RE: [https://pubpeer.com/publications/053A4DD87764E36C0B9FF00B260480 Discussions of Flavored ENDS Sales Restrictions: Themes Related to Circumventing Policies on Reddit]===
+*This article incorrectly states, “In the wake of the e-cigarette or vaping use-related lung injury (EVALI) outbreak in September 2019, electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL voluntarily removed flavored pods aside from tobacco and menthol from the U.S. market” That sentence is false and creates a factually inaccurate and damaging link in a reader’s mind between JUUL products and the 2019 lung injuries (EVALI) when none exists. In fact, Juul Labs reduced its flavor portfolio to tobacco and menthol to combat underage use and the ingredients of JUUL products do not include vitamin E compounds or THC that were primarily linked to EVALI. (Murillo)
+**Referring to: Silver N, Kucherlapaty P, Kostygina G, Tran H, Feng M, Emery S, Schillo B. Discussions of Flavored ENDS Sales Restrictions: Themes Related to Circumventing Policies on Reddit. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 23;19(13):7668. PMID: 35805325; PMCID: PMC9266029. [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137668 doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137668]
 ===2021: [https://www.qeios.com/read/ZGVHM7.3 The outbreak of lung injuries often known as "EVALI" was nothing to do with nicotine vaping]===
@@ Line 113: / Line 127: @@
 *CDC identified THC vapes with vitamin E acetate as culprit, but 66% of adults blame e-cigarettes for vaping deaths
 **Citation: Wilson, S. (2020, February 5). E-cigarettes increasingly blamed for lung illnesses, as evidence points elsewhere. Morning Consult. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
+===2019: [https://reason.com/2019/10/09/muddled-message-about-vaping-causes-costly-confusion/ Muddled Message About Vaping Causes Costly Confusion]===
+*Vague lung disease warnings tar harm-reducing e-cigarettes while obscuring the role of black-market cannabis products.
+**Citation: Sullum, J. (2019, October 9). Muddled message about vaping causes costly confusion. Reason. Retrieved June 7, 2026
 ==Tweets==
@@ Line 131: / Line 149: @@
 *My point is simply if you know a THC product hurt someone, don’t call it an e-cigarette, call it a THC vape or THC vaping product. Nomenclature matters in helping consumers properly identify which products are causing which kinds of risks. That’s why we develop naming systems.
-==Community Notes on X (Formerly Twitter)==
+==Community Notes - EVALI Misinformation on X (Formerly Twitter)==
-.
+The misinformation about nicotine vaping and EVALI continues to spread around the globe years after the outbreak. The tweets below have a [https://x.com/i/communitynotes/about Community Note (CN)] that got enough votes to be made public. Anyone can see them and vote on them. There are many more tweets where the CN does not yet have enough votes. And there are 100s more (maybe 1000s!) without a community note. Community Notes are a way to help correct misinformation, and became [https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMg_6d9005c7-f4ea-4f13-a8b3-0a6158fccc27?rid=535a5f53-cc73-4cd8-8655-5b407d99314b available] to most users late in 2022.
+===2026===
+*May 2: [https://x.com/ChronosIntelX/status/2050460076302119243 Chronos Intelligence @ChronosIntelX] (5816 followers)
+*May 1: [https://x.com/forallcurious/status/2050433667282219081 All day Astronomy @forallcurious] (453.5K followers)
+*April 11: [https://x.com/A3Noticias/status/2043066564996407378 Antena 3 Noticias @A3Noticias] (2M followers)
+*February 3: [https://x.com/argosaki/status/2018870277107822947 GP Q @argosaki] (127.3K followers)
+*February 3: [https://x.com/ClevelandClinic/status/2018713096404267388 Cleveland Clinic @ClevelandClinic] (1.7M followers)
+===2025===
+*December 24: [https://x.com/hemo_shk/status/2004010818732781789 Dr.Haitham Hamoud @hemo_shk] (17.8K followers)
+*December 9: [https://x.com/drkaanyl/status/1998470605461701007  Prof. Dr. Kaan Yılancıoğlu @drkaanyl] (215.2K followers)
+*December 2: [https://x.com/wdunlap/status/1995892820163658065 Wayne Dunlap @wdunlap] (250.1K followers)
+*May 17: [https://x.com/DarrenPlymouth/status/1923710684556055002 Darren of Plymouth @DarrenPlymouth] (126.4K followers)
+*May 6: [https://x.com/GMB/status/1919641214422253759  Good Morning Britain @GMB] (1M followers)
+*March 26: [https://x.com/j00ny369T/status/1904861513527013715 Johnny @j00ny369T] (221.7K followers)
+*Febrary 17: [https://x.com/LungAssociation/status/1891553473210057206 American Lung Association @LungAssociation]  (44.6K followers)
+===2024===
+*November 13: [https://x.com/BreakMyCoffee/status/1856902175844438254 The Coffee Break | Grow Smarter Daily @BreakMyCoffee] (19.8K followers)
+*May 16: [https://x.com/MillsHayesTV/status/1791133326461313070 Mills Hayes @MillsHayesTV] (5,099 followers)
+*May 16: [https://x.com/FoxNews/status/1791205781892645038 Fox News @FoxNews] (29.1M followers)
+*April 23: [https://x.com/BFHD/status/1782912224597840165 Benton-Franklin Health District @BFHD] (1,542 followers)
 ==Expert Testimony==
@@ Line 191: / Line 231: @@
 **Citation: Betuel, E. (2019, September 13). A thickener used in pot vaping is a hugely popular black-market scam. Inverse. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
-=='''Suggestions to add to this page'''==
+='''EVALI outbreak — Consumer-led research, warnings, and pushback'''=
+===Mysterious "vape" illnesses and THC cutting agents===
+*When the news broke of vaping lung injuries, consumers started doing their own research, often discussing their findings in Facebook chat groups. Here are some of the compiled notes as they started looking for patterns that might indicate a cause.
+*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JOD0wBm_lZRmsTwGpkzFFaVXry23T46YMk_8enIFiQw/edit?usp=sharing THC Cutting Agents]
+*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BMqv26yghILkKpKf%20POhNKQfLV3qFn8JfPEQbBBJN84/edit?usp=sharing Mysterious Lung Issues]
+*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeEEsLg9spwI5UigtfYDQwzc8OINZyRkdIBJaFKSvOE/edit?usp=sharing MN, WI, TX, etc - illegal THC carts]
+===“DANKing” — A consumer-coined term to distinguish illicit THC carts from nicotine vaping===
+*As the very real concern about the "vaping" illnesses and deaths spread, some states and cities moved quickly to ban nicotine vapes, or at least ban the flavors. They seemed to be unaware or ignored that it was unregulated THC products that were causing the outbreak. Consumers knew that the public needed an easy way to differentiate between THC and nicotine. Because so many illnesses were linked to a fake brand called "[https://www.wtvr.com/2019/09/27/in-lung-illness-outbreak-signs-point-to-majority-of-patients-vaping-thc-products Dank Vapes]," Andre Thov coined the term "DANKing." (See [https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BNi6XLKdM/ comments] on this Facebook post.) Consumers began using the term on social media.
+**Thov entered the term on [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Danking Urban Dictionary].
+**Advocates wrote reports and press releases, sometimes using the term "danking," to educate the public (often more strongly than public health or the CDC did). Examples: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w7ErqSmO-moRR0ExYBCSEy0Bc_yGwxfjlYq7kH_bnEk/edit?usp=sharing “DANKing”, the frightening trend that’s making people sick!] and [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PDihlSLQjE0VmDDtwftTsSPqByAv3T8cHlZpnN4NXAQ/edit?usp=sharing For Immediate Release From: Tobacco Harm Reduction 4Life Public Health Warning]
+*At times, people with lived experience ("consumers") can feel unseen and unheard. They don't always know the power of their voices. Can they influence the conversation? They got their answer when they saw the word used on websites and media sources:
+**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exRRX0xrKvE Deadly Pesticides Found In Counterfeit Vaping Products | TODAY].
+**Erin Mills, affiliated with PAVe (Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes), [https://x.com/NYSMom4Kiddos/status/1171472581452419072 tweeted #danking].
+**A 2019 webpage titled “FAQs about the vaping lung illness epidemic” on VapingHealthRisk.com used the term “danking” in reference to THC or marijuana vaping products. The page is no longer available at its original URL; a current attempt to access it returns a 502 Bad Gateway error. The original URL was: https://vapinghealthrisk.com/faqs-about-the-vaping-lung-illness-epidemic/. A screenshot of the FAQ text reads: "Are vaping THC or marijuana (aka danking) products worse than nicotine e-cigarettes? Maybe. It appears as if THC and marijuana-related vaping or e-cigarette products may increase the risk of vaping lung diseases. The CDC reports the following usage patterns in the 30 days prior to becoming sick:" (the screenshot does not include the list)
+*Dray Moorman, who is both a consumer and a small business advocate, used the term in an Op-Ed published by NEWSMAX: [https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/vape-vote-vaping-voters-trump/2019/10/11/id/936690/ Dray Moorman: Vape Vote Could Outweigh Impeachment Damage in 2020]. In part, it said: "Smoking black market oil is called danking. THC oil made in a drug dealer’s kitchen has nothing to do with e-cigs. Yet, opportunists and mainstream media are exploiting tragedy to attack vaping. And by doing so, they may be trying to force President Trump to alienate 12 million voters."
+*Did those consumers have a lasting impact? While it was a thrill to have an influence on the narrative, most of them felt it wasn't big enough. But, perhaps, it was bigger than they thought. A 2025 WRTV Indianapolis article suggested the term may have had more staying power than consumers realized. In [https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/vape-shop-owner-shares-tips-to-avoid-black-market-products Vape shop owner shares tips to avoid black market products], Eskenazi Health Pulmonary Physician Graham Carlos said health officials haven't seen incidents like this since 2019. "People were what's called 'dabbing and danking.' That's when you add things to the pens and there was no regulation,"
+<br>
+[[File:Danking Today.png|center]]
+===Ongoing misinformation and loss of trust===
+Consumers are still struggling to trust the CDC. They are left wondering why it was they who had to take to social media to warn the public about the danger of unregulated THC carts cut with vitamin E acetate. They are also left wondering why vape shops had to tell customers that their cannabis use was their own business, but that until things got sorted out, they should smoke cannabis instead of vaping it. Why were consumers and shops quicker at getting the word out than the CDC? Those consumers are left wondering if that was the right time for the CDC to practice the "precautionary principle?"
+To this day, consumers and academics use up considerable amounts of their free time, pushing back against misinformation that is keeping some people trapped in smoking tobacco. "EVALI" is still something weaponized, fueling a moral panic about nicotine vaping, and encouraging policymakers to raise taxes and/or ban the products. The CDC's lack of urgency in addressing the source of the misinformation means the word "EVALI" keeps consumers from trusting anything the CDC says.
+='''Suggestions to add to this page'''=
 [[Category:Studies, Surveys, and Papers]]
 [[Category:Media - Movies, Videos, Vlogs, Blogs, OpEds, News, etc.]]