Study: E-Cigarette Flavoring Contains Chemical Linked to Respiratory Condition

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives links flavoring chemicals in e-cigarettes to respiratory disease. Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health tested 51 flavored e-cigarettes for three flavoring chemicals associated with respiratory conditions: diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione. Diacetyl is associated with bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as “popcorn lung” because it was discovered in workers who inhaled artificial butter flavor while working at a microwave popcorn factory. Diacetyl was found in 75 percent of the tested products, and at least one of the three chemicals was identified in 47 out of 51 samples.

“Recognition of the hazards associated with inhaling flavoring chemicals started with ‘popcorn lung’ over a decade ago. However, diacetyl and other related flavoring chemicals are used in many other flavors beyond butter-flavored popcorn, including fruit flavors, alcohol flavors, and, we learned in our study, candy-flavored e-cigarettes,” said Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment sciences and lead author of the study, according to Harvard Gazette. Many flavors appear to marketed towards younger people with options such as cotton candy, “Fruit Squirts” and cupcakes.

The damage from bronchiolitis obliterans is irreversible, and many patients ultimately require a lung transplant. Researchers also tested e-cigarettes for two other flavoring chemicals, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association lists acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione as “high priority”, meaning that they may be harmful when present in the workplace.

Co-author David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics, cautions that little is known about the effects of e-cigarettes. “Since most of the health concerns about e-cigarettes have focused on nicotine, there is still much we do not know about e-cigarettes. In addition to containing varying levels of the addictive substance nicotine, they also contain other cancer-causing chemicals, such as formaldehyde, and as our study shows, flavoring chemicals that can cause lung damage,” he said, according to Harvard Gazette.

from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/study-e-cigarette-flavoring-contains-chemical-linked-to-respiratory-condition/