"These devices are causing healthy teenagers and young adults to develop life-threatening illnesses" said Dr. Jamie Wooldridge.
Dr. Wooldridge is the chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Oishei Children's Hospital and UB MD Pediatrics. She has treated a few of the 13 reported cases of severe pulmonary illness connected to vaping in Western New York.
"I've seen three cases already, all of them have been teenagers" she said. "The first patient actually ended up in the intensive care unit and his lung disease was so severe that ended up needing a ventilator for a few days."
Of the three cases she treated, all of them involved the use of a THC liquid. However, Wooldridge said she does not know what products they used, where they came from, or the chemicals in it.
"Which is really concerning because in that situation we don't know exactly what they are inhaling into their lungs" she said.
The most common symptom physicians are seeing is trouble breathing.
Once this pulmonary disease is suspected, Wooldridge said she will ask them to stop using vape products, rule out infectious disease and begin treating the lungs.
The three cases Wooldridge has treated were reversible, but doctors in other states have not been as lucky.
"It's just so severe that we as physicians can't reverse the process and unfortunately patients are dying" she said. "My concern is that it's just time before we see a death here in the State New York."
"Honestly it's scary" she continued. "Most of the time I take care of patients who have a lung disease and I know what it is and I know what I need to do to take care of it. Now I'm looking at a lung disease that is potentially fatal and I don't know exactly what to treat it with."
As the CDC continues to investigate this disease, Dr. Wooldridge has one message to spread.
"These are dangerous products, please don't use them."