Popcorn lung has been linked to e-cigarettes, but can vaping cause chronic lung damage?
LUNG OF POPCORN!
Popcorn lung appears extra terrible when we write it in all caps and bold the phrases, but you might be wondering if a condition called popcorn lung is a real concern or simply a lot of fearmongering hype. It’s not either/or, as with most things in life, a natural condition like lung cancer, with extremely grave ramifications like lung transplants that might potentially be a concern for those who vape.
Could it be the case?
I know, not very conclusive, but that is the answer, as in yes, it is conceivable based on science. However, there are currently no documented examples of vaping with popcorn lung. It can also be difficult to report cases since it mimics other, far more prevalent lung disorders and is difficult to detect.
What is popcorn lung, and how does it affect you?
In plain terms, it is a condition in which the small air sacs that fill with air and oxygenate the blood in the lungs get destroyed. Pop popcorn lung symptoms include shortness of breath, blue-tinged fingers, wheezing, crackling, and weariness. It sounds a lot like our most recent bout with the severe flu, sans the temperature, but the symptoms never go away. Although the disease’s formal name is Bronchiolitis Obliterans, its early cases were linked to popcorn manufacturers, earning it the far more common and memorable moniker of Popcorn Lung.
I know we bolded the phrases yet again, but it’s like the slimy green creature from the swamp depths, and it appears to merit the frightening treatment, and it is a dreadful sickness. Bronchiolitis Obliterans can no longer be reversed; it can only be controlled, and one of the better therapeutic choices is a lung transplant.
Biopsy of Popcorn Lungs
Popcorn lung can only be diagnosed with a biopsy of the lung tissues, as chest x-rays are insufficient. I know we’re all hoping for the day when computers can analyze us instantaneously. Still, our technology hasn’t quite caught up with Star Trek yet, so there might be a lot of Bronchiolitis Obliterans instances that go unnoticed. The treatment for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appears to work for Bronchiolitis Obliterans, which is one good thing about a misdiagnosis. So, even if a patient has Bronchiolitis Obliterans but has been diagnosed with COPD, they will react to treatment and get the greatest possible outcome available in medicine.
Currently, a doctor would only suspect popcorn lung in someone who worked in a facility that used one of two chemicals to make flavorings: Diacetyl or acetyl propionyl. Another aspect contributing to Bronchiolitis Obliterans’ low visibility is that it is a relatively new condition in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Many clinicians are unfamiliar with it and hence unable to provide medical advice. In 2002, eight instances in a popcorn facility in Missouri were discovered as part of an occupational safety investigation.
This makes it a low-profile condition, and because the only method to identify it is through expensive biopsy procedures or autopsy, we’ll probably never know whether Bronchiolitis Obliterans is a more common problem or a rare sickness left to the musings of researchers in the form of theory.
What exactly is Diacetyl?
Diacetyl is the flavoring ingredient that gives popcorn its buttery flavor. Because popcorn manufacturers no longer utilize it, I say ‘used to be. If you want a more scientific explanation, Diacetyl or 2,3-butanedione is a, oh, never mind, if you wish to the entire science thing, go to Wikipedia because it lays it out in a manner that we can’t. The important thing to remember is that this nontoxic molecule and its relatives are used to flavor food and are safe to consume but not breathe in. When we put it together, we felt the same sinking sensation you had; inhaling it is horrible, and because this is an article on a vaping website, does it indicate this flavoring is utilized in vaping liquids? The quick answer is yes, but it doesn’t suggest that anyone has had popcorn lung due to those e-liquids.
Is Vaping Linked to Popcorn Lung?
From all of the articles and scientific studies we examined, the best answer we could come up with was probably not. Let’s break it down because that’s not very comfortable. To have popcorn lung, you must breathe in large amounts of the chemicals that cause it, far more than what individuals are exposed to when vaping. In perspective, cigarettes contain many of the same compounds found in popcorn, yet doctors do not test for Bronchiolitis Obliterans.
The CDC ruled out smoking as a cause even in workplaces where Diacetyl was used and confirmed Bronchiolitis Obliterans instances. Cigarettes have 100 times the amount of Diacetyl found in vaping liquids. Despite all cigarette studies and litigation, no relationship between smoking and the disease has been established. Among principle, some smokers may have been misdiagnosed with COPD, which is highly frequent in long-term smokers. Still, the evidence does not establish a relationship between tobacco smoking and popcorn lung. Because vaping is safer than smoking and contains fewer dangerous chemicals, there isn’t likely a relationship between popcorn lung and vaping.
Another truth that helps us breathe easier when we vape is that people exposed to high quantities of Diacetyl inhaled in factories had symptoms within two years. With more than a decade of vaping and no increase in mysterious lung disorders, it appears reasonable to assume that persons who vape are unlikely to get this lung ailment due to diacetyl exposure.
Flavorings for Popcorn Lung E-Liquid
Can I avoid the harmful compounds in my vape juice to be safe?
There weren’t many flavoring alternatives available when the vaping business was tiny and new, and the majority of those on the market for manufacturers were created for food. Because the makers of these flavoring compounds didn’t anticipate people to inhale them, they never included any warnings or cautionary statements on items containing Diacetyl or one of its cousins. That has changed, and new things for the vaping business are being produced every day, and these new products are intended to be inhaled safely.
There are still goods on the market containing the popcorn lung chemical flavorings; however, testing for these chemicals is both difficult and costly, so even if a producer believes its chemicals are devoid of the bad stuff, it is prohibitively expensive cross-check. Some producers examine and publish the findings for their goods, but they seldom batch-test e-liquids so that a once-safe recipe might become harmful.
Manufacturers frequently reformulate goods, and cross-contamination is a concern at companies that create numerous flavoring products so that a diacetyl-free product might contain trace levels of the toxin. Even industry insiders expect some of these chemicals to find their way into vape juice products, despite the manufacturer’s best efforts to keep them out due to all the moving parts.
Is the Cost of E-Liquid Testing Worth It?
Avoid vape liquids with buttery tastes, and the problem is fixed.
If it were that simple, we’d be dancing a happy dance, but since these compounds are also wonderful for amplifying sweet and savory flavors, we can’t just remove a taste and be done with it. It’s not like Red Color 40, where you can be sure you’re safe if you avoid any meals that contain red dye. We wish it were that easy, but it isn’t, at least not right now. The industry hasn’t given up and continues to develop safer products for vapers.
Medical Journals on Popcorn Lungs
Woot! The industry is addressing the problem. I can return to my normal routine and never worry about this again, right?
You know we’re about to tell you something you don’t want to hear, and you want to know why. No industry is without flaws. Because vaping is safer than smoking, some people believe they can cut corners in the vaping sector. Physicians are now urging smokers to transition to e-cigarettes and vaping as a smoking cessation strategy, as well as because it is far safer than smoking, so if individuals must have a vice, doctors prefer vaping over smoking.
As a result, some manufacturers believe they have the go-ahead since “safe” is good enough. Because we live in a capitalist culture, some businesses will choose the easy, profitable road even if there is a safer alternative because it is safe enough. On the other hand, Vaping has a distinct community that is more grassroots and willing to boycott firms that show they don’t care about people.
This user participation in the goods vapers use encourages more firms to aggressively remove ingredients that are known to be dangerous and concentrate on creating a safer product than “safer than cigarettes.”
So, what am I supposed to do?
You have already accomplished the first major goal by reading this text and being educated. The next step is to be an informed client and request products from firms that deliberately avoid components linked to Bronchiolitis Obliterans. Look for firms actively working to make all vaping goods as safe as possible. Remember, we’re unlike the tobacco industry, which denied the presence of cancer-causing chemicals even after many studies established a destructive relationship between lung cancer and smoking.
Instead, we are a business with a vaping community discussing these concerns while they are only hypothetical possibilities, which is a significant distinction. Because the vaping industry is so new, consumers may have a large say in handling consumer safety. We anticipate that consumers will have a beneficial influence on the industry and that these goods will set the bar for safety and accountability in the marketplace.