Teen, 17, burns hole in lung and turned ‘blue’ after vaping equivalent of 400 cigarettes in a week

A “terrified” father has warned parents about the dangers of e-cigarettes after his teenage daughter burst a hole in her lung due to her vaping habit.

Mark Blight raced Kyla to hospital on May 11 when told that she had “collapsed and gone blue” while at a friend’s sleep-over.

After her heart nearly stopped, the 17-year-old underwent surgery for more than five hours to remove part of her lung.

Medics discovered a small air blister, known as a pulmonary bleb, had developed on the top of her lungs.

Kyla, who began vaping at just 15, believed the habit to be “harmless” and would get through an entire 4000-puff vape each week.

But it is thought her excessive habit – equivalent to smoking 400 cigarettes in a week – caused her lungs to burst.

Kyla spent two weeks in hospital recovering from surgery – and now says the ordeal has frightened her off disposable vapes for life.

Mr Blight, 61, a full-time carer, urged teens to throw away vapes because “it’s not worth it”.

The father-of-nine, from Egremont, Cumbria, said: “I’ve been to hell and back with Kyla over the last couple of weeks.”

“Vaping (has) caused this. ... Her lung collapsed this time due to the hole,” he said.

“She was close to having a cardiac arrest. It was terrifying for me. I cried like a baby. It was horrible to watch.”

Mr Blight said the first sign something was wrong came in November when Kyla was taken to hospital after he believed she was having a heart attack.

An X-ray revealed she had a hole in her lung after a blister (bleb) had formed.

The student returned to the hospital in February but was told it had been healed.

But she ended up in hospital again in May after the bleb burst and caused her lung to collapse.

Mr Blight revealed that despite once catching his daughter using an e-cigarette, he had not realised she started vaping at age 15.

He admitted he used vapes to stop smoking 13 years ago, but now urges young people to stop using them after seeing their dangers first-hand.

“For kids, there should definitely be a ban. These chemicals they’ve got in them haven’t been tested properly,” he said.

People underestimate how dangerous they can be.

“The doctor said ... there were are a lot of young ones with holes in their lungs.

“I would say to parents, watching your kids do this, you’re going to go through what went through. It’s just not worth it.”

Figures show that one in five children has tried vaping despite it being illegal for under-18s while the number of children using vapes has tripled in three years.

Doctors fear there could be a wave of lung disease, dental issues and even cancer in the coming decades in people who took up the habit at a young age.

UK parliament was dissolved before the Government could introduce a new tax on vaping products.