Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a study in Environmental Health Perspectives. They tested a variety of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids and found that 75 percent of them had a flavoring chemical (Diacetyl) that has been linked to cases of severe respiratory disease.
This chemical diacetyl has become infamous by causing a debilitating respiratory disease known as popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans). Bronchiolitis obliterans is an irreversible loss of pulmonary function that can become so severe that the only treatment option may be a lung transplant.
E-cigarettes are on the rise and the FDA is trying to secure the ability to regulate them along with other tobacco and nicotine products. However, because of the lack of regulation, there are potential detrimental health effects in these products, but not many people know about them.
Concerns regarding e-cigarettes primarily focus on nicotine exposure, second-hand exposure, the potential for e-cigarettes to be a gateway to cigarette use, and renormalization/social acceptance of smoking.
The results of the study showed that of the flavoring chemicals they were looking for, 47 of the 51 unique flavors (92 percent) were detected. “Popcorn lung” is a serious condition and the chemical that causes it is in many e-cigarettes. User beware.
For more information check out the full studies.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/12/popcorn-lung-seen-in-e-cigarette-smokers/
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2015/12/ehp.1510185.acco.pdf
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.