Apple will remove all 181 vaping-related apps from its mobile App Store this morning, Axios reports. In June, the tech giant quit accepting new apps that promote vaping (the use of electronic cigarettes).
Apple issued this statement to Axios: “We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We’re constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users’ health and well-being.
“Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic.
“We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.”
According to the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], as of Nov. 13, 2,172 cases of vaping use associated with lung injury have been reported from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). Forty-two deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia
