"Cheaper solvents like butane are toxic to humans and can easily be left in the cartridge oil, which may be causing some of these illnesses."

You should have mentioned that residual butane is tested for in WA's legal industry.

The Stranger seems oddly intent in telling people vaping is "safe."

[ Reviews advertisers ] Oh.

@3 Leafly's reporting is that "thick" cutting agents became popular recently, and several are admitted (Clear Cut) or tested (Honey Cut) to contain vitamin E acetate. May not be the only cause but it looks like a big one.
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/vape-pen-lung-disease-vitamin-e-oil-explained

This I hadn't seen: WA regulators reported as saying we have no rules against vitamin E in legal products. (Nor do OR or CA.)
https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/vapi-vape-pen-lung-disease-regulators

So get a full ingredients list from a company you think you can trust.

As I mention in another thread - please continue to distinguish between vaping flower (like I do) and vaping oils. I'm not interested in going back to burning my cannabis, and I don't want this vape oil situation tainting the entire inhaled cannabis family (I rarely ingest for a variety of reasons.)

4 This from 2017 is interesting...https://www.evolab.com/press-blog/2017/08/03/understanding-cutting-agents-in-cannabis-vape-pens
"Propylene glycol and glycerin are particularly common cutting agents used in cannabis vaporization blends. However, it has been shown that these compounds can undergo decomposition when in contact with the heating element of a vaporizer. Research has shown that a variety of volatile carbonyls can be formed, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein. These specific carbonyl compounds are particularly notable because of their adverse health effects on humans. In fact, acrolein was used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I due to its toxicity.

Developers of these vaporizing devices and formulations are not required to undergo FDA scrutiny, and as a result there is minimal oversight of the quality of these products or potential risks. Further, many manufacturers add untested cutting agents or artificial flavors to their products."

@3 Actually, the vitamin E acetate has not been found in all the samples related to illnesses. No single substance has been present in all samples tested.

@7 I wouldn't inhale burnt propylene glycol myself, and it may be a public health issue, but people have been taking those risks for a while now and CDC thinks this is new.

9/12/2019 I purchased a cartridge of COLD SMOKE's I-95 Cookies. The article above references to COLD SMOKE as a brand name to look for. The packaging has no information on the labeling, but does offer an web address one can go to, look up what's in the product you've just purchased. Just enter the 6 digits, (conveniently below the bar code), and shazam, here's your information.
ID: WAJ412111.INDA9P1
Strain: Animal Face x Bluesclues x Girl Scout Cookies x Chem Dawg x Gorilla Glue #4 x Jah Goo x Lime43 x MAC x Mango Glue x Orange Cookies x Orange Sherbert x Gelato 33 x Grapefruit x I95
Type: Extract for inhalation
Potency:
Total THC: 75.2%
THCA: 9.4%
Total CBD: 0.4%
CBDA: 0.1%
Total: 75.6%
Certificate of Analysis: COA_Distillate_I-95 Cookies_K3CI.pdf
Manufacture Date: 08/02/2019
Grow Medium: Rockwool
Pesticides: Rhizopon AA (cloning agent), Flower: None Applied, Veg: None Applied
Solvents: Butane, Propane, Propane

COLD SMOKE has three solvents used in its manufacturing of this item, one of which is Butane. The article above stated that is one thing to actually avoid, yet COLD SMOKE has this in their product.

Who did the research for this article above?