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You are here: Home / Archives for Personal Injury / Popcorn Lung

Popcorn Lung

Popcorn Lung in E-Cigarette Users A Possibility

April 17, 2018 By Ben DuBose

According to a Harvard study, a chemical, diacetyl, may cause a condition called Popcorn Lung in e-cigarette users. Popcorn lung was first observed in the early 2000s when workers at a microwave popcorn factory were sickened by breathing the chemical, used because of its buttery flavor.

Popcorn lung in e-cigarette users

E-cigarettes come in many flavors, making them appealing to teenagers as well as adults. Most users think these are a healthy substitute for smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately, they are misguided. The same chemical, diacetyl, that produced irreversible bronchiolitis obliterans and even death to workers in popcorn factories, is present in many of the flavored ‘juices’ of e-cigarettes.

Harvard researchers found that 39 of 51 e-cigarette brands contained diacetyl and, of the two other harmful chemicals present, 23 included 2,3 pentanedione and 46 contained acetoin. In total, approximately 92 percent of e-cigarettes tested had at least one of the three chemicals.

What is popcorn lung?

The scientific disease name, bronchiolitis obliterans, is actually a scarring of the lungs’ small air sacs. This scarring thickens and narrows the airways. Though the common disease name, popcorn lung, sounds harmless, it definitely is not. The devastating results are coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath – similar symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – and can lead to death.

Why is this legal?

Once the effects on popcorn workers were discovered, diacetyl was removed from popcorn products. However, until the May 5th announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they will extend their oversight on tobacco products to include e-cigarettes, there was no FDA oversight. This announcement means that in August key provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act on sales, marketing, and manufacturing of e-cigarettes will be enforced, but there is a caveat. For three years manufacturers can test their products and complete FDA applications for review while their products can remain in the market.

The 2015 Harvard study concluded, “Because of the associations between diacetyl and bronchiolitis obliterans and other severe respiratory diseases observed in workers, urgent action is recommended to further evaluate this potentially widespread exposure via flavored e-cigarettes.”

While there are groups wanting more proof that there is actual danger, the American Lung Association thinks the danger is real, three years is too long, and the FDA should quickly require removing diacetyl and all other harmful chemicals from e-cigarettes.

Learn more

Even if you are still undecided about the effects of diacetyl in vaping, there are many other additives in e-cigarettes that are harmful, including nicotine, formaldehyde, carbonyl compounds, metals, propylene glycol, glycerol, fine particulate matter, and flavoring chemicals.

Here are two good links. For more public information on e-cigarettes and lung health and for a number of articles on how to quit – or help someone else quit – smoking.

Filed Under: e-cigarettes, Personal Injury, Personal Injury, Popcorn Lung Tagged With: Personal injury attorney, texas personal injury lawyer

Does Vaping e-Cigarettes Jump from the Frying Pan into the Fire?

December 16, 2015 By Ben DuBose

Man smoking e-cigarette

People looking for a healthier alternative to smoking “real” cigarettes and teens on the lookout for something new, may find themselves with serious health issues. Taylor Hays, director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, told USA TODAY Network, “There are no FDA regulations on these products. It’s the Wild West of e-cigarettes.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported use among teens tripled between 2013 and 2014. They, as well as adults, are lured into using these through advertising, peer pressure, and enticing flavors mimicking candies, cupcakes, as well as alcohol – in fact, there are over 7,000 chemically replicated flavors on the market.

The T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard tested 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes and liquids – all sold by major brands. They tested for diacetyl, acetoin, and two flavoring compounds listed as high priority by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association. Of these chemicals, at least one was found in 47 of the 51 flavors tested. All have been proven to cause respiratory issues in factory workers. Diacetyl was above the laboratory limit for detection in 39 of the flavors tested.

Why is diacetyl such a disturbing find? It has a confirmed link to “brochiolitis obliterans,” a condition that has led to lung transplants in serious cases. This disease gained notoriety when workers inhaled diacetyl from the butter flavoring in popcorn factories, which led to naming the disease “popcorn lung.” As it is still early in the history of flavored e-cigarettes, there is not yet a definite link to the disease, but this study adds to the discussion concerning the ramifications of long-term use of e-cigarettes.

Sources: USA TODAY, Harvard Gazette

Filed Under: e-cigarettes, Lung cancer medical treatment/research, Personal Injury, Popcorn Lung, Safety Tagged With: dallas personal injury lawyer, e-cigarettes, environment

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