Injurious to health: How American doctors uncovered the vaping crisis

Health authorities and physicians suspect the illness is an inflammation or injury caused by chemical exposure to the lungs

Jennifer Schreiber took one look at her patient’s gray and blue skin and knew the teenager needed to go to the hospital.

On July 11, the 18-year-old arrived at Dr. Schreiber’s office, struggling through quick, shallow breaths. Within 10 minutes, emergency medical services were called, and the girl was wheeled to the intensive-care unit at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She was fighting for her life.

The patient was the sixth the hospital had seen since June who had arrived gasping for breath, with chest pain and fatigue but without any sign of infection. Puzzled by the earlier cases, the hospital