Vacaville woman dead in California’s fourth vaping-related death, officials believe

A Vacaville woman died last week in what investigators believe is California’s fourth vaping-related death amid a rash of e-cigarette health concerns.

Amanda Margot Arconti was treated in a hospital in Novato, where she later died after coming down with an illness, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Arconti, who has family in Novato, is believed to have used e-cigarettes prior to her death, and Marin County health officials believe her death may have been connected to vaping.

A county health officer told KRON4 that Arconti, 45, was previously healthy but came into the hospital experiencing chest pain and trouble breathing, resulting in her death within hours.

A postmortem examination and toxicology tests are scheduled for Thursday in order to identify a definitive cause of death, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

In a news release issued after Arconti’s death, the California Department of Public Health warned state residents to refrain from all forms of vaping, regardless of the substance or source of e-cigarette products.

“It is tragic that yet another person has died from this cause in California and people continue to fall ill. We are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, CDC, other state health departments and local health departments across California, investigating every case and testing products, and we’ll continue until this vaping associated outbreak is over,” CDPH director Dr. Sonia Angell said in a prepared statement. “Until that time, we urge everyone to stop vaping, especially products from informal sources.”

Since August, the CDPH has received reports of 161 people with a history of vaping being hospitalized for severe breathing trouble and lung damage, while four people, including Arconti, have died.

The CDPH said Vitamin E acetate has been identified as a potentially harmful agent present in e-cigarette products that may result in breathing problems and lung damage, but no definitive cause has been determined and no ingredients have been ruled out.