Health experts issue urgent warning over ‘popcorn lung’ as studies show vaping condition can’t be reversed

There are “more than 180 different flavorings that are used in e-cigarette products today,” and not all of them have been tested for safety…

An expert has weighed in on why ‘prevention’ rather than ‘treatment’ is the only way forward when it comes to vaping, given the ‘permanent’ effects.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that a 17-year-old had been diagnosed with the irreversible condition bronchiolitis obliterans – the scientific name for ‘popcorn lung’ – after vaping for three years.

Professor of Chemistry at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Donal O’Shea, has opened up about the extent of the dangers of ‘popcorn lung’ and why the term dates back to the early days of vaping.

The expert also explained why it’s the flavoring used in vapes that can cause such permanent damage to the body.

In an article for The Conversation, Professor O’Shea revealed that the term “popcorn lung” came about after several workers developed lung problems from working at a microwave popcorn factory that used a chemical called diacetyl.

Like the popcorn factory, flavored vapes contain the chemical diacetyl – which, when aerosolized, becomes a “toxic inhalant”.

Professor O’Shea explains: “It causes inflammation and scarring in the bronchioles (the smallest branches of the lungs), making it increasingly difficult for air to pass through.”

He warns: “There is no cure for popcorn lung. Once the lungs are damaged, treatment is limited to symptom management.

“This may include bronchodilators, steroids and, in extreme cases, a lung transplant. For this reason, prevention – not treatment – is the best and only defense.”

And it’s not just diacetyl, the only chemical found in vapes, that can have this effect.

The consequences of inhaling diacetyl are “permanent” with “often disabling lung damage.

Diacetyl is now officially banned in e-cigarettes in the EU and UK, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t end up in illegal products.

It remains in products in the US and other jurisdictions.

However, “popcorn lung” can also be “triggered” by other toxic chemicals.

Professor O’Shea notes: “These include volatile carbonyls such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde – both of which have also been detected in e-cigarette vapors.”

He explains that experts estimate that there are “over 180 different flavorings used in e-cigarette products today,” which “when heated” break down into “new compounds,” not all of which have been “tested for inhalation safety.

“Because vapers’ lungs are exposed to so many chemicals, it’s not possible to directly prove that diacetyl is the cause of disease in any particular case. But that doesn’t negate the proven risks of inhaling it,” he continues.

“Even if diacetyl isn’t the sole culprit, cumulative exposure to multiple chemicals and their byproducts could increase the risk of popcorn lung and other respiratory diseases.”

As a result, he believes that “prevention” rather than “treatment” is the only way forward when it comes to vaping.