Walmart dumps e-cigarettes: Largest store in America will no longer sell vaping products amid growing health fears as death toll in the US hits EIGHT

Walmart says it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its namesake stores and Sam's Clubs following a string illnesses and deaths related to vaping.

The nation's largest retailer said Friday that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through current inventory. 

It cited growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity regarding vaping products.

More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses. An eight death was reported this week. But health officials still have not identified the cause.

Meanwhile, the retailer still sells cigarettes and chewing tobacco, but raised the purchasing age to 21 in May.  

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Walmart announced Friday it will non longer sell vaping products in its nearly 5,000 stores. Pictured: a display of the store's vaping products under a Walmart pharmacy sign in 2017 

Until now, the 5,358 Walmart and Sam's Club stores across the US sold a variety of e-cigarettes sand e-cig products.  

Though inventory varied from store to store, according to E-cigarette review site Vapegrl, Walmart carried Mistic, Blu, V2, FINj, and NJoy brands of e-cigs. 

In 2017, a Reddit user posted a photo of taken in their local Walmart, showing not only e-cigarette and e-cigarette liquids but an advertisement for 'pod-mod kits,' under a pharmacy sign. 

It is unclear if these products were sold in all Walmarts, or if they are still sold in them, as the retail giant has already removed all e-cigarettes from its online store (it still sells vaping accessories online).  

The CDC has stopped short of telling Americans not to use e-cigarettes, but has advised anyone 'concerned about the health risks' not to do so and urged Americans use bootleg e-cigarette pods, cartridges or liquids. 

Bootleg vapes are modified e-liquids that can then be be bought on the street and used with e-cig devices instead of the device-maker's own products.   

Although investigators have not yet worked out what in e-cigs is causing all of the illnesses, a number have been linked to bootleg vapes, including those that used THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.    

Vitamin E acetate is suspected as a possible trigger for the disease - but it's only been found in THC vapes, which some, but not all of the severely ill patients used. 

Cases have been reported in the majority of US states - 38, plus one territory - and over half of the patients are under 25.  

It is unclear what any of the people who have died were vaping. 

Illnesses are most common among men, who account for 72 percent of the confirmed cases. 

Vaping-related illnesses have affected Americans of all ages, but are more common in younger people who are not usually prone to lung disease.  

Young adults between 18 and 34 account for a worrying 67 percent of cases and 16 percent of the vaping illness victims are under 18. 

'We are recommending people consider not using e-cigarettes,' CDC officials said during the Friday briefing call.  

CDC officials said that many but not all of the reported and confirmed cases involved both THC - the psychoactive chemical in marijuana - and nicotine vaping. 

Michigan and New York have enacted bans on flavored e-cigarettes to discourage young people from using the devices.   

This week, CBS, WarnerMedia and Viacom all announced that their networks will no longer show e-cigarette advertisements.